Question Number: 30966

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 10/27/2016

RE: Competitive Under 16

George of Parangarecutirimicuaro, CA Sacratomato asks...

On a particular play, my eyes are following the play when out of the corner of my eye, i felt a player making an unnatural body movement. When i turn my attention to said player, i catch him slapping an opponent on the back of the head with an open palm. I immediately stop play, warn and caution player. About 4 minutes later, i caution the same player for a delay of game.

At the end of the game, my lead AR brought to my attention that the original movement had been an attempt to elbow opponent in the face. When the player misses, he follows that with the slap.

As a referee who takes my trade seriously and i find myself looking to improve continously, i would like to know what is the appropriate procedure to upgrade a caution to an expulsion? I keep thinking, had AR waved his flag during the caution to give extra information and had i decided to upgrade yellow to red, what would be the proper procedure?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI George,
in my opinion almost any VIOLENT act away from play is VC and a direct red card unless we are talking a pushing match between two players after say a tackle, we might cut a little slack rather than bring out the heavy red artillery for the emotion of the moment and the fact we are not head-butting or punching.

I noticed you claim the AR only LATER relays this VITAL information? It is IMPERATIVE that at EVERY stoppage you get eye contact with the AR and get the input you might be lacking or the confirmation you might be seeking. You tap the top pocket, indicating I be a cautioning here, lock eyes tap fingers to eye and point at the player you are stating I about to caution this dude did you see it the same? the AR shakes head NO, taps back pocket indicating no way only caution that be a send off show red in MY opinion .. You are puzzled ,why a red card, so you go over to talk QUIETLY discuss PRIVATELY, find out, and march the miscreants' butt off the field as a send off after showing a well deserved red card!

KEY points in good communication it is WHY we look to our ARs after each and every stoppage and after each and every restart as they are out eyes, ears and information centers looking out for us and the match when our attention is focused elsewhere. The AR should be supportive of the referee if in hearing the whistle and noting the CR is addressing an event the AR has CLEARLY identified as a red card event could raise and wave the flag to show support but those things are why you have pregame discussions and how you relay important information without over stepping the jurisdictional aspects. I use a thumbs up as a catch all I agree symbol. I use the finger come here wave or point to mouth, WE need to talk or point to eye ,I saw it ! ! I use the pat jersey top pocket for yellow the reach to the back short pocket as a red indicator. But these are useless unless the CR is looking at me and expects this type of communication.

I respect you take the job seriously so I suggest you conduct a well thought out pregame with full disclosure and post game a reviews to see what did or did not work well. Gil Weber has a pretty decent pregame here as a n article on this site but the new LOTG will always require a personal review of things YOU find important it is a basis for your own ideas not a script by someone else you follow blindly.

If you are OVERLY quick to show a yellow card and do only caution and restart there is not a lot you can do unless the NEW information is for a different act of violence. If you are showing the card or have shown but still not restarted the AR can offer additional information. You could look a bit weak or foolish but you show a red card and tell him and the coach you are rescinding the caution based on additional neutral information. Given play has not restarted you CAN change your mind. You might look a tad idiotic but you do what is best for the match. When you ask the best procedure it is a difficult one to answer BECAUSE you should not be doing that procedure you should COMMUNICATE with AR FIRST then decided if that additional info CHANGES YOUR decision and that is the only colour card you show! All you can do if you make a rash decision is to undo it and go with the correct one assuming play has not restarted. Once play has begun and only later you find out chalk it up to experience and look for opportunity as players who are prone to such things tend to do other things.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi George
Okay you spotted a player raising his hand to slap an opponent. You chose to caution for unsporting behaviour I assume on the basis that the force used was negligible as per the law quoted by Referee Grove. I was not there so I cannot tell. You made a call on what you saw which resulted in a caution and a DFK restart. Now had the AR further information to give he should have beckoned you across and as play had not restarted you could have upgraded the caution to a dismissal. Good communication and eye contact is vital.
Now from the ARs angle of view the part you did not see looked like an attempted strike with an elbow. One would assume that he also saw the slap which he considered negligible I assume? Both together for me is VC so he should be informing the referee. Now perhaps the opponent was contributing to the incident. Maybe it was yet it can look different from different angles. Case in point in the EPL recently where Moussa Sissoko Spurs has been charged following an incident in the game with Bournemouth. The referee did not see it and retrospective action has been taken. The ref I believe could have thought it was a push away with the arm in the tussle for the ball rather than an elbow. It did cause a furore during the game. Video evidence suggested it was VC.
I had an incident recently where a player lying on the ground held on to an opponents leg. To free himself he sort of tugged his held leg away which looked like a kick. It did not look like VC to me so I cautioned him for USB. Others could have viewed it as a kick although there was no excessive force used.

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi George,

The Laws tell us that, ''a player who, when not challenging for the ball, deliberately strikes an opponent or any other person on the head or face with the hand or arm, is guilty of violent conduct unless the force used was negligible.''

When you use the phrase 'slapping an opponent on the back of the head' that sounds to me like more than just negligible force was used, so I would have gone straight for a red card here.

Also, you don't specifically say so but I assume (and fervently hope) that you did send this player off after his second caution?