Ammon News - Corinthians forward Memphis Depay has questioned the Brazil Football Federation’s (CBF) decision to instruct referees to punish players who stand on top of the ball.

The CBF announced that, following a recommendation from South American federation Conmebol, players should be shown a yellow card and an indirect free kick be awarded to the opposition if they perform the move.

Depay had deployed the skill during the second leg of the Paulista A1 final on March 28, as he attempted to keep the ball in the corner and protect his side’s advantage with Corinthians leading Palmeiras 1-0 on aggregate in the final minutes of the game. A mass brawl involving the majority of players from both teams had followed Depay’s attempts to run the clock down.

The 31-year-old Netherlands international had feigned to cross before standing on the ball and balancing for a second during March’s fixture. He wrote on social media that players in Brazil should not be “limited” from expressing themselves in a country renowned for its skilful football.

“So I really went to Brazil to also experience jogo Bonita (the beautiful game) first hand but now the CBF announced yesterday that no player can’t stand on the ball or the player will receive a yellow card,” Depay wrote on X.

“It was decided after I did balance on the ball for a couple seconds in the last finale of the Paulista Cup. Not that it is such an important factor in football but I don’t see the issue here.

The CBF said following a Conmebol recommendation it had instructed referees “to punish with a yellow card players who climb on the ball”.

The CBF statement continued: “Last week, Conmebol instructed international referees and advisors working in continental competitions (Copa Libertadores and Sudamericana) on the need to comply with the technical and disciplinary measure, indirect free kick and yellow card, respectively, when an athlete performs the aforementioned act.”

Three days after Depay stood on the ball against Palmeiras, the CBF said two players were cautioned for the offence during the match between Bolivia and Brazil in the South American under-17 Championship.

While there is no direct reference to the specific act of standing on the ball being a cautionable offence in the International Football Association Board (IFAB) Laws of the Game, the body lays out means for cautioning players over “unsporting behaviour,” stating offences may be punishable if deemed to be showing “a lack of respect for the game.”

IFAB also states an indirect free-kick may be awarded if a player “commits any other offence, not mentioned in the Laws, for which play is stopped to caution or send off a player”. NY Times