Question Number: 23338

Law 5 - The Referee 5/19/2010

RE: Rec Adult

Gabrielle Goglia of Glendale, CA USA asks...

Can a referee remove a coach from the sidelines and field area for unsporting behavior without officially cautioning him? I know players must be cautioned by two yellow/one straight red card to be removed from the game, but want to verify whether coaches must be cautioned to be removed.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Under the laws of the game, cards are never shown to coaches. (There are some leagues that have local rules that use cards with coaches.)

The only ground to dismiss a coach is irresponsible behavior. Although most referees will issue a warning before dismissing a coach, some behavior results in an immediate dismissal.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

In youth leagues referees are often presented with a conundrum. The only reason given in the Laws for dismissing a team official is for not behaving in a responsible manner. Yet the league often wants the referee to report the dismissal in the same format you would for a player, listing DOGSO, VC, SFP, etc. Since the coach doesn't commit any of those on-field infractions, we're often only left with Offensive, Insulting or Abusive language. If the words used were did not fall into that category, we'd be left with a warning and then dismissal for dissent (equivalent to 2 yellow cards for the player). That may be why you see most coaches dismissed after a warning. But some behavior is just too egregious; the coach has to go NOW!

And some leagues require that cards are shown to coaches, contrary to the Laws of the Game.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Gabrielle
If a coach does not behave in an responsible manner within the technical area the referee has the power to remove the coach from the pitch and sorrounds. Cards are not shown to coaches, officials etc and they are simply informed by the referee to leave. Whether the coach gets a warning depend on the situations and if the behaviour warranted an immediate removal then so be it.

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

If you are playing a FIFA/USSF sanctioned game, a coach may never be officially cautioned and shown a yellow card, nor may he/she be sent-off and shown a red card unless the local authorities have instituted an illegal modification of the LOTG.

On page 22 of the current LOTG we find this:

takes action against team offi cials who fail to conduct themselves in a
responsible manner and may, at his discretion, expel them from the fi eld of
play and its immediate surrounds

From the Feb 2, 2009 ditective Managing The Technical Area from USSF:

Managing the Technical Area
Page 3 of 5
Ask, Tell, Remove Process
The following process is recommended for all officials to follow relative to
conduct within the technical area.
? Ask
If a situation arises where there is irresponsible behavior, you are to ASK the
person(s) to stop.
? Tell
If there is another occurrence where there is irresponsible behavior, you are
to inform that person that the behavior is not permissible and TELL them
(insist) to stop.
? Remove
If the non-accepted actions continue, you must REMOVE that person
immediately.
These are the recommended steps from U.S. Soccer and the CSA but they are
not necessary if the behavior and conduct of personnel within the technical area
requires immediate dismissal. Remember, where circumstances permit, use a
?gentle escalate? approach so that referee team responses match the nature of
the bench behavior. Try to use the least intrusive response that will solve the
problem.
2009 Instructions to Referees
As a preventative measure, referees are instructed to utilize the following
technique when dealing with personnel in the technical area:
When the fourth official has determined that his utilization of the ?TELL?
step has been insufficient and the conduct in the technical area continues
to be irresponsible and, thus, the fourth official is ready to escalate to the
?REMOVE? step, the fourth official shall notify the referee. At a stoppage,
the referee shall approach the technical area and ?warn? the coach that any
further irresponsible behavior will result in a dismissal from the game.
Thereafter, any further irresponsible behavior will result in immediate
dismissal (the ?REMOVE? step).
In the pregame, the referee team shall establish an escalation procedure by
which the fourth official shall notify the referee of the irresponsible bench
decorum and the subsequent process of the referee notifying the coach. Note:
This does not prohibit, at any time, the referee or fourth official from moving
directly to the ?REMOVE? stage based upon irresponsible bench decorum.


And finally from 2009 edition of Advice To Referees from USSF;


5.10 BEHAVIOR OF COACH AND BENCH PERSONNEL
Coaches or other team officials, one at a time, may provide tactical advice to their players, including
positive remarks and encouragement. The referee should only take action against coaches or other
team officials for irresponsible behavior or for actions that bring the game into disrepute. A coach or
other team official may not be cautioned or sent off nor shown any card; however, at the discretion of
the referee, such persons may be warned regarding their behavior or expelled from the field of play and
its immediate area. When a coach or other team official is expelled, the referee must include detailed
information about such incidents in the match report.
The maximum numbers of substitutes and substitutions are set by the competition authority and with
the agreement of the two teams within the requirements of Law 3. Additional people in the technical
area, such as team members who are not named as players or substitutes (for the current game) on the
roster or parents or other persons involved with the team, are permitted to be seated with the team in the
technical area (or other designated team area) only if this is allowed by the competition authority. Such
persons will be considered team officials and are therefore held to the same standards of conduct
specified in Law 5 as other team officials. Although team officials cannot commit misconduct or be
shown a card, they may be ordered from the field for irresponsible behavior. Full details must be
included in the match report.
The "Ask, Tell, Remove" process is recommended for all officials to follow regarding conduct within
the technical area:
? Ask
If a situation arises where there is irresponsible behavior, the official (referee, assistant referee, or
fourth official) should ASK the person(s) to stop.
? Tell
If there is another occurrence of irresponsible behavior, the official should inform that person that the
behavior is not permissible and TELL them (insist) to stop.
? Remove
If the non-accepted actions continue, the referee must REMOVE that person immediately.
These are the recommended steps, but they are not necessary if the behavior and conduct of personnel
within the technical area requires immediate dismissal. Remember, where circumstances permit, match
officials should use a ?gentle escalate? approach so that referee team responses match the nature of the
bench behavior. Try to use the least intrusive response that will solve the problem.