Question Number: 33890

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 2/18/2020

RE: Other

John Stingelin of NAPERVILLE, IL United States asks...

As a retired referee I m not up on my yearly certification. Today I was watching Atletico Madrid V. Liverpool. The referee showed a yellow card to the Liverpool manager. Is this something rather new as I was always told to just warn the manager that he/she will be dismissed if that type of argument continus?

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi John
Yes a recent amendment by IFAB to the Laws is that everyone on the roster including technical staff can now be shown cards so the Liverpool manager was shown a yellow card probably on the advice of the 4th official. Technical staff can still be warned as to conduct without showing a card which is the same as players etc. I suspect the Liverpool manager paid no heed to the 4th official and the card came out.
I believe it is a welcome change in that there is little doubt as to the fact that the team official has been *cautioned* rather than just spoken to and a repeat is a red card.
Some other changes you might have noticed or maybe not is that the ball does not have to exit the penalty area on a goal kick / free kick to be in play, the ball hitting a match official on change of possession results in a dropped ball, everyone on the roster can commit a direct free kick offence, attackers cannot stand in a defensive wall with three or more players, goalkeepers only have to have one foot on the line at a penalty kick, team last in possession at a dropped ball gets the ball back except inside the penalty area where it is dropped to the GK.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI John,
there have been numerous changes to the LOTG including the use of cards to indicate publicly the technical staff and coaches are being written up for misconduct! Their antics were included in misconduct match reports and the ability to expel those responsible was always within the power and duties of the referee. Cards provide public awareness and lees verbal interaction as the cards indicate the level of misconduct . Youth referees benefit as they can censure adults without having to go over and talk to them. Intimidating of youth by adults was also a rational used by high school to adapt their rules as well so cards could be shown. It would be wise to look over the law changes given the ball can go backwards at kick off, offside restarts can occur inside your half and PKs for acts of misconduct by tech staff and substitutes can now occur are only a few of the dynamic changes to go with showing coaches a card! .
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Peter Grove

Hi John,
Due to a recent law change, introduced just this season, team officials can now receive yellow and red cards if they misbehave.

According to the IFAB's document summarising the changes for 2019/20, one of the changes made after two years of experimentation was:

''The introduction of yellow and red cards for misconduct by team officials''