is there such a thing as a “good” card per law 12? by dr. brent stephens, d.m

Is there such a thing as a “good” card per Law 12?

By Dr. Brent Stephens, D.M.

© 2009 by Dr. BRENT W. STEPHENS, D.M.

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Synopsis

The use of the yellow and red cards in soccer to indicate caution or send-off were intended as a visual indication to watchers of the referees decision. Instead of this the card has become a tool or in some cases, a weapon. WOMD - A weapon of mass distribution.

DisclaimerThis material does not address behavior that may be found at professional or international level where the fastest red card is within three seconds of the start of the game (David Pratt, December 30, 2008).http://www.theoffside.com/world-football/pratt-sets-new-record-for-fastest-red-card.html

http://www.theoffside.com/world-football/pratt-sets-new-record-for-fastest-red-card.html



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Purpose

The important point is understanding the referee’s purpose – facilitating a game of soccer ensuring:

• Protection of the players• That the players decide the outcome

and• Finding the “balance” where both teams

accept the fouls called and not called


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Control

The referee is afforded five levels of control (attributed to Eddie Earson, former Director of Officials of the North American League as quoted in Robert Evans and Edward Bellions [2002] For the Good of the Game).

• Voice• Whistle• Yellow card caution• Red card sendoff• Game abandonment


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The goal

• The goal is to control the game and protect the safety of the players – using the tools above

• If an emphatic and dramatic verbal

addressing of the incident keeps the game under control – why risk escalating to the level of a yellow card?

© 2009 by Dr. BRENT W. STEPHENS, D.M. 6

History and origin of cards

British football referee Ken Aston was appointed to the FIFA Referees' Committee and was responsible for all referees at the 1966 FIFA World Cup. In the quarterfinals, England met Argentina at Wembley Stadium. After the match, newspaper reports indicated that referee Rudolf Kreitlein had cautioned both Bobby and Jack Charlton. The referee had not made his decision clear during the game, and England manager Alf Ramsey approached FIFA for post-match clarification.


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Cards and first use

• Aston realized that a color-coding scheme based on the same principle as used on traffic lights (yellow - caution, red - stop) would traverse language barriers and clarify whether a player had been cautioned or expelled.

• Yellow cards and red cards were used for the first time in the 1970 FIFA World Cup in Mexico.


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The yellow “card”

Law 12 of the Laws of the Game lists the seven reasons for a caution as:

• Unsporting behavior• Dissent by word or action• Persistently infringing the Laws of the Game• Delaying the restart of play• Failing to respect the required distance on a corner kick, free kick

or throw-in• Entering or re-entering the field of play without the referee’s

permission• Deliberately leaving the field of play without the referee’s

permission


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The red “card”

• Law 12 lists the categories of misconduct for which a player is sent off. These are:

• Serious foul play (a violent foul)• Violent conduct (any other act of violence)• Spitting at anyone• Denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring

opportunity by deliberately handling the ball• Denying an opponent an obvious goal-scoring opportunity• Using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures• Receiving a second caution (yellow card) in the same match


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Conclusion

• So using the “cards” originated as a visible indication to the onlookers of the decision on the field, much as High School soccer in the United States now requires signaling of calls on the field, indicating to onlookers the nature of the call (as in American Football).


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Outcome

• Unfortunately, cards have come to supersede their intent and instead become a tool or crutch for the referee to lean upon. A WOMD = weapon of mass distribution!


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Facilitator

• The referee’s task is facilitate a game and ensure affair outcome.

• The “beautiful game” - is for the benefit of the players, the coaches and the spectators.

• The referee is meant to be the facilitator, NOT the center of attention.


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Case Study 1

• Top level youth boys league U16 game, the young referee was clearly having game management issues. Comments from players, coaches and spectators were far from complimentary. A player in frustration finally committed a hard foul and the fouled player retaliated. A further player rushed in, but the referee was there in time to isolate the players and prevent further incident.


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Case study 1 cont’d

• The incident was open to interpretation.

• Clearly, it was unsportsmanlike conduct but was it serious foul play and violent conduct requiring of immediate expulsion


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• The referee drew the two players aside and spent two minutes calming them down.

• This allowed other players and the coaches to calm down


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Case Study 1 Outcome

• The referee then issued both players red cards.

• The coaches at this point failed to conduct themselves in a responsible manner and the game barely finished without injury

• Inevitably both coaches filed complaints against the referee…


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Case study 1 debrief

• In the debrief, the young referee agreed that by isolating the players, calming them down (and allowing the rest of the players to calm down), he had the game back under control.

• Yellow cards for unsportsmanlike conduct would have accomplished the intended purpose of sanctioning the players and he would have regained the respect that he had lost.


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Case study 2

• U19 boys game. The referee fails to identify that the top player is being harassed by the opposing team culminating in a violent tackle from behind.

• At that precise moment, the referee chose to look back at the trail AR and did not see the foul, just the fouled player on the ground, writhing in agony.


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• The team captain starts arguing with the referee for not calling the foul.

• Two teammates join in. • The referee issues all three with yellow cards

for dissent, flashing the cards as a weapon– in one case to a players back as he walks away

in disgust.


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T he referee was invited to consider an alternative way to approach the situation:

• Moving away from the heated players and consulting his AR. – The players are clearly upset, why remain in the

area and invite comment? • If the AR saw the foul, sanction the offending

player.


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• If the AR did not see the foul– the referee can apologize to the captain for not

seeing the foul – and promise to be more protective of their top

player.

• In this scenario, issuing of cards for dissent is avoided


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Who is in control?

• Referees need to accept responsibility for the escalation of the levels of control.


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Consider that..

• A soccer player, who plays soccer for the love of the sport and the competition, wakes up and says “Today I am going to foul the opponents, scream and yell at the referees and bring the sport into disrepute?”


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Or…

• The player wakes up, says “great, I have a game today, I will go out there and give it my all and have a great time?”

• and as fouls are not called, gets progressively annoyed with the opponents and the referee for the unacceptable calls or non-calls

• and proceeds to retaliate against the opponents and the officials


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Consideration

• Undoubtedly, some players have a tendency toward unsportsmanlike conduct

• but how much can be attributed to the referee’s lack of game management?

• Had he been closer to the players, used his voice to say “no foul”, “hands down”, “play the ball” – how many fouls could he have prevented?


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Further consideration

• How much trust could the referee have generated in the players – who identified as the game went on that the

referee was competent, knew what he was doing – and accepted the calls or non-calls as the

referee verbalized his decisions?


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Who likes correction?

• The referee holds the unique ability to be 100% correct 50% of the time.

• The player who is fouled is validated by the verbal acknowledgement or whistle.

• The player who committed the foul will often disagree with the call. No-one likes being corrected.


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What about me?

• Where a foul is not called, the player who feels they were fouled if not validated, will take matters into his or her own hands. The referee who deems the foul as trifling MUST verbally acknowledge the foul but explain the lack of call with a loud “nothing there” or “no foul” to help prevent retaliation or dissent.


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Options

• If dissent still occurs the referee can consider if it is:– Personal– Public– Provocative…

• Or a good time to be deaf, dumb and blind, choosing not to give the dissenter credence


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Tools

• Clearly the referee has tools at his disposal (– voice, – whistle,– presence

to diminish use of cards for dissent, unsportsmanlike conduct, delaying the restart.


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What about?

• Surely a careless or reckless tackle using excessive force is something out of the control of the referee and so a caution would be a “good” caution?

• What about serious foul play? Surely that is a “good” card as the referee is protecting the player.


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Consider…

• Once again, consider that the player woke up the morning of the game and decided to intentionally hurt an opposing player– an unlikely supposition.

• What is more likely is the trivial fouls that were not acknowledged built and built, until in frustration the player took matter into their own hands.


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Consider further…

• An experienced referee sees the foul comingAnd can prevent it – by being close enough to play– and loudly telling the player “don’t even think

about it” or “I am watching you” or some similar verbal deterrent


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Too late!

• At this point, how can a red card protect the player?

• The answer is that it cannot.

• The damage is already done.


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Source of pride?

• Overheard in the referee locker room: two referees discussing the average number of yellow cards issued in men’s open league.

• Three cards on average per game. • They felt that was perfectly acceptable and

that they were doing a good job.

• By “validating” each other, their performance somehow became “acceptable?”


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The alternative…

• A referee doing their job with passion, • covering the field adequately, • positioning themselves where they need to be to

see the action, • verbally warning players to play the ball. • constantly speaking to the players, • building rapport, • acknowledging trifling fouls and using their voice

and whistle as needed including public verbal warnings when necessary.


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Possibilty?

•Can this referee get through an entire game without needing to use any cards?


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The question

• So the question remains:– is there a “good” card?


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You decide!

•Or is the need to resort to cards indicative of the referees (in)ability to control a game?


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References

• Evans, R. and Bellions, E. (2002). For the Good of the Game. (Canoga Park, CA: Youth Sports Publishing, Inc.)

• Laws of the Game http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/lawsofthegame.html

• Fastest Red Card http://www.theoffside.com/world-football/pratt-sets-new-record-for-fastest-red-card.html

• Origin of Cards http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penalty_card

• http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/developing/refereeing/news/newsid=80623.html/

http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/lawsofthegame.html



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penalty_card

http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/developing/refereeing/news/newsid=80623.html/

http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/developing/refereeing/news/newsid=80623.html/

© 2009 by Dr. BRENT W. STEPHENS, D.M. 41

Feel free to pass this on, I can be contacted at [email protected] or 817-307-4559

For the good of the game…

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”-- Edmund Burke 1729-1797 Irish Philosopher.

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is there such a thing as a “good” card per law 12? by dr. brent stephens, d.m

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