|
June 8, 2000
Several questions have been raised recently regarding the use of
yellow and red cards before, during, and after play and regarding misconduct committed by
various people in or around the field. Although the answers to these questions can
generally be Obtained from the Laws of the Game prior USSF Memoranda, and
Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game, this paper is intended to summarize in a
single place the correct referee action in these different situations.
Yellow and red cards, which are now mandatory indications of
cautions and sendoff, may be shown only for misconduct committed by players or named
substitutes during a match. "During a match" includes:
· any periods in which play is temporarily stopped,
· half time or similar breaks in play,
· required overtime periods,
· kicks from the penalty mark if this
procedure is used in case a winner must be determined,
· the period of time immediately prior to a match during which players and substitutes
a~ physically on the field warming up, stretching, or otherwise preparing for the match,
and
· the period of
time immediately following a match during which the players and substitutes are physically
on the field but in the process of exiting.
The items above in italics represent a clarification of Advice 3.14. Referees should note this additional
information in their copy of this publication. If misconduct occurs prior to the match but
not on the field or in advance of players in uniform performing warm-up exercises, no card
should be shown and the referee9s action does not affect the accumulation of
cautions during the match (it should still be Included in the referee's report of match
inddents1 however).
"Players and named substitutes" means any person listed on
a team's roster and given to the referee prior to the start of play. If a roster is not
normally provided or if it has
not yet been given to the referee, it means any person in the vicinity of the field
wearing an identifiable team uniform who is subject to being called to participate in the
match Named substitutes are included even if they are never called on to play. Players who
have been substituted and, under Law 3, are not permitted to return to the field remain
under the authority of the referee as long as they stay in the vicinity of the field. It
does not include any player or named substitute who has been sent from the field for
misconduct (red card) since the maximum penalty has already been applied.
Yellow and red cards are not normally displayed prior to a match or
after the match is over. However, as noted above in the definition of "during a
match," USSF guidance follows international practice in recognizing the need to enforce misconduct
sanctions for
certain periods of time immediately prior to and after the match as
though the misconduct had occurred during the match itself in other words if a player who
is on the field warming up before the match may be cautioned and shown the yellow card for
misconduct (e.g., dissent). If this player then receives another caution during the match,
he must be sent off under Law 12 for the second caution. A player shown a red card and
sent from the field for misconduct prior to the match may be replaced from the substitute
list and the team can field eleven players, but the roster cannot otherwise be changed
(i.e., no new substitute name may be added to the roster) and this replacement is not
counted against the team's substitution limit under Law 3
All misconduct must be included in the referee's report of the
match, even if no card is shown. If misconduct is committed before or after a match, the
referee must describe the incident in accordance with the language of Law 12 just as
though the incident had occurred during the match. In particular, referees in professional
league games are expected to use the prescribed misconduct codes and point values. This will assist the competition authority
in determining the correct action to take.
Persons who are not players or named substitutes cannot commit
misconduct within the meaning of Law 12 and therefore cannot be shown yellow or red cards
nor will their behavior be described In match reports as misconduct. Law 5 is very dear
that "team officials" (coaches, trainers, etc.) must behave responsibly and if
they fail to do so, the referee has two primary courses of action. First, the referee may warn the team official that
the Irresponsible behavior puts him or her at risk. Second, the referee may expel the team
official from the field and its immediate area. It is not necessary for a warning to be
given in cases of extreme provocation.
As with a player or named substitute who fails to depart the field
if sent off, the referee has the power under Law 5 to suspend or terminate a match if an
expelled team official refuse to leave. Disciplinary action against a team official must
also be included in the referee's match report.
|
