Question Number: 29461

Mechanics 6/3/2015

Bob of New York, New York USA asks...

I saw this GIF of a referee in a Middle Eastern FIFA match

http://gfycat.com/AdmirableShyElectriceel

I was wondering the legality as a referee of taking out a red card to diffuse a situation. Obviously you are allowed to rescind cautions and send-offs prior to the restart of play but what about if a player is yelling in your face and you calmly take out a red card and hold it at your side without saying a word, player sees the card and backs off?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Bob,
it was not JUST the card but his sheer presence, his level steely eyed stare and body language of that referee in conjunction with removing the card and holding it at the ready in a calm dignified professional manner. In understanding that our character, our attitude and composure are part of the persona we carry onto the field. It reminds me of that great Italian referee Pierluigi Collina. I saw him interact with players in ways few other referees could and get away with. Physically pushing, nose to nose yelling, standing and staring intently or a gentle smile and finger wave. He commanded the RESPECT of those on the pitch! While a referee is always accorded a modicum of respect for the position, the respect for the PERSON counts for so much more!

It is not against FIFA or the LOTG to reach in and pull a card out of your pocket.
As a mechanic for quelling dissent?
It is somewhat like standing under that dangling sword of Damocles that could fall at ANY time. You get the point of the position of power and responsibility being conveyed knowing that perhaps not all will respect or more to the point fear it ! I have seen similar stunts tried and nearby players grabbing the card out of the referee's hand.

Personally I absolutely loved it as it did exactly what was required! Look what effect it had as those realizing there was an opportunity to evade repercussion , just melt away and or lead those away without enough sense to grasp the situation!

The cards are tools and in this case the red tool was used to get the point across without the necessity of sending off or cautioning. Another use of a tool was his impressive body language! Yet it was the third tool that impressed me, that he did not use OR DID HE? lol Was his VOICE!!! He said a match full without uttering a peep! SILENCE was his foundation!
I cannot recommend you or another to do as he did but we can not deny in THIS case it worked to a T! Courage composure and a grasp of situational awareness not easy to balance by us mere mortal referees.

Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Bob,

I'm glad you asked about this infamous clip!

There's no concern with the legalities. Pulling out a card doesn't, by itself, mean anything - and don't forget, any decision can be changed before the next restart.

The concern is from a refereeing point of view. I echo ref Dawson's sentiments about Collina - in many ways, the way he interacted with players is the last thing any referee should do because it would completely backfire on any other referee. But it worked for him.

Through the course of my career I have, on a number of occasions, taken an approach to a player or situation that I never repeated. It may have worked, but it was counter to what's typically taught and it carried a very high risk of backfiring. Sometimes with experience you get a gut feeling on some situations that a particular weird and high-risk approach will be absolutely perfect. I believe the referee here trusted his gut on a one-off approach, and in this case it worked. That's where his experience came into it. As I said though, high-risk (and the fact that professional players often respond to events differently to grassroots players probably didn't hurt).

Generally speaking, don't pull the card out unless you're going to use it. Don't even look like you're thinking of using the card. Because if you try that, then don't use the card, it's going to look like you were indecisive and you allowed the team to talk you out of it. When I began refereeing I was actually taught to put him hand in my pocket when I was warning a player if I really wanted to give him room for concern. Before too long I realised it was a bad habit - it really does look indecisive which causes a loss of respect by the players, ultimately causing far more harm.

Given that this clip has gone viral, I can only wonder how many referees have attempted it only to have them backfire completely. I would expect it to backfire in the vast, vast majority of cases. Often the players will just yell at you more if you pull out the card - the last thing you want is to actually cause the red card offence to occur.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Bob
The occasions when this could be used would be extremely rare and I would also advise not to use this. I have seen referees gesture a hand towards a pocket yet not actually produce the card.
The reason I suggest that it should not be used as it can look to players that you intended to card but chose otherwise. It can be like raising the whistle to blow yet when it is not done and a player sees it the reaction can be to question the referee for his non action.
Instead the referee should work on his presence, body language to get the message across that he is not tolerating the behaviour.
When top professional referees go about their duties they have presence. That one thing sets them apart from others.
To enhance their presence referees need to be:

– Confident/self-assured
– Decisive decision-making
– Controlled
– Enthusiastic

The challenge is to continually project the right image by being aware of the signals you are sending to others.