Question Number: 24460

Law 5 - The Referee 1/6/2011

RE: Under 19

steven of sydney, australia asks...

Hi

In a mass confrontation situation , which players should be identified and and dealt with what action under the laws ?

Also if a player comes into the melee in a aggressive manner under law can he be sent off ??

If a player push a opponent should it be dealt with a yellow for USB or red for VC ?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Steven
This is a personal decision by the referee. I personally would take disciplnary action against any player that comes from a distance to get involved in a mellee. Examples would include a goalkeeper coming from his goal area to get involved or a player coming a distance to get involved aggressively.
As regards whether it is a dismissal or not depends on whether the referee views the player's action as violent conduct or not. I saw a strong push to the face result in a sending off in the Premier League during the week which many commentators felt was harsh. I know that in the PL players have been told that a hand to the head area is a dismissal. Some other referees in other Leagues would consider it to be a caution.. The Laws state that a player is guilty of violent conduct if he uses excessive force or brutality against an opponent. The referee is the sole judge of what is excessive force.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

The referee is the sole judge of when conduct requires a private talk, public word, caution or sendoff. But, some factors to consider:

a) Have the card out. If players see the card in your hand, they know that you are handling the problem and may not take matters into their own hand.

b) Deal first with the instigator. If the referee deals first with the one who initiated the problem, the rest of the players will accept better cautions/sendoffs to those who retaliate if they see the instigator has already been punished. (The trick is seeing the first one. Everyone sees the retaliation.)

c) Don't restart the match until you check with both assistant referees. One of them likely saw other misconduct that needs to be addressed.

d) The third person into a confrontation can cause it to elevate into a brawl. Do everything you can to keep the tussle between the two initial opponents. Make sure someone (in my pregame, I assign this to the nearest AR) quickly intervenes before the third one can arrive.

e) I have never regretted in a post-match self analysis, times when I cautioned a player involved in a melee. I have often regretted letting something get bye with a warning to both players (when things got worse). If the match temperature is rising, use the cards.

f) Captains at U19 can be very helpful to keep their teammates civil. Treat them as an asset rather than a potential problem. (The exception, of course, is the screamer that the coach has wear a captain's badge hoping it will avoid another caution for dissent. That's not the usual sign of a true team leader.)