Question Number: 32406

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 4/28/2018

RE: Competitive Under 14

Gary Robinson of Pleasant Grove, UT USA asks...

Working a U14 girls game this morning, one player on the blue team walked behind the opposing goal keeper just as she was punting the ball and screamed at the top of her lungs. Later in the game, the same player walked behind an opponent and screamed just as she was taking a free kick. She definitely didn't impede the GK's release in the first instance, and was far enough to respect the distance in the second. Her screams were not vulgar or misleading like 'I go' or 'my ball', but were definitely intended to distract the opposing player.

I had a word with her after the second instance and told her to knock it off, but both the player and her coach questioned my authority to penalize her for screaming or yelling at an opponent. What are my options in this type of a situation? Nothing? Simple free kick for the opponent? YC for unsporting behavior?

Thanks!
Gary

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Gary,
ask what was she doing AND DID IT AFFECT PLAY??? Why did she do it? to unnerve or put off the opponent. Darn tooting it is USB it is a caution for USB. Show the screaming witch that yelling Arghhhh, a yellow card tell her to button it, restart INDFK. As for the coach tell him to teach his players a little resect for the game as well as the official.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi Gary,

The way you describe it, this sounds like it could easily be a yellow card to me.

The Laws of the Game say that:

''There are different circumstances when a player must be cautioned for unsporting behaviour including if a player [...] verbally distracts an opponent during play or at a restart''

There is no option to give only an indirect free kick, once you decide to punish the offence, you must caution the player, despite the common myth that a player who verbally distracts an opponent can be penalised with merely an IFK. Play does restart with an IFK after the caution.

I suppose you could choose to do nothing if you think the player has not actually committed a verbal distraction offence or if you decide that only a warning is required but this sounds like a fairly blatant example.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

Hi Gary,
The LOTG aren't designed to cover every possible scenario - that's why there are parts that are ambiguous, even vague. Unsporting Behaviour can be applied to a very broad range of things - and the laws allow us to stop play to award it for whatever we deem suitable, and restart with an indirect free kick.

The laws now even have a clause instructing us to use the 'spirit of the game' in applying the laws.

The short answer is that 'verbal distraction falls under unsporting behaviour'.

Given there was no clear impact I think having a word at the next stoppage is fine - though I suggest that given the blatant nature of the act, it should have occurred at the first instance. It needs to be stamped out quickly. Having said that, given that a keeper's punt often lands in 50-50 territory it can be hard to claim with certainty the keeper wasn't affected, so an immediate caution wouldn't be unjustified. Again, consider the highly blatant nature of the offence - not to mention the fact that everyone would have seen/heard it!

Look at it this way - had the player done it in a way that it had an impact, you'd need to caution. Sometimes having a word with a player earlier is doing them a favour.

The laws do not permit a free kick for the opposition unless you stop play for a caution.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Gary
First off neither the player or the coach knew the Laws of the Game on this to question it and anyway they had no right to question the referees authority, period.
Under Law 12 the referee has the power to caution a player for verbally distracting an opponent during play or at a restart. Examples include shouting loudly MISS IT say at a penalty kick, free kick or shouting LEAVE IT with the intention of deceiving an opponent which is not communicating with a team mate in as in this instance which was an attempt to distract.
So you would have been fully justified in cautioning the player for unsporting behaviour and the restart is an IDFK from where the verbal distraction took place.
As to the way you handled it there is no issue about that as the shout had no obvious effect on play and you decided to have a word which seems to have worked. However players can take exception to be shouted at and it can lead to afters.
So the referee options are
1. Stop play, caution the offender and restart with an IDFK.
2. If there is no apparent distraction or effect on play allow play to continue until the next stoppage and have an obvious word with the player or for that matter play advantage and caution at that stoppage. A repeat of the action once asked to desist is a caution.
3. A referee might do nothing yet it runs the risk of causing problems for the game.