Question Number: 3418

RE: youth

Gary Voshol of Royal Oak, MI USA asks...

Re: 3407 on showing cards to non-players...Your responses gave the correct FIFA/USSF position. Cards are meant only for players and substitutes (and by extension, to anyone who was a player, has been substituted out, and remains in the environs of the field)...However, we must note that some local rules of the competition (youth league, tournament, etc) may provide for the showing of a card to a coach. While USSF does not condone these rules modifications, I have been told that the official position is that USSF will not prevent the governing authority from implementing it. So the answer is that the ref has to know the rules governing the particular game...Maybe a better question to debate is whether we coaches and other team personnel should be exempt from being shown a card. Cards were invented in the 1970's to avoid any confusion regarding exactly what the ref was calling. Can this logic not also apply to coaches?

Answer provided by Referee Gartenhaus

Gary,.I personally agree with you. i think that anything that can make things clearer (especially in youth and adult recreational sports) should be encouraged. Showing cards to coaches would help clarify the referee's position, and give the coach a bit of a harder wake-up call to behave. It also would help to settle the rambunctious parents down a bit..That said, we must follow the governing body of our sport, and in many areas, the head referee officials will not allow the showing of cards to coaches, even if the local youth associations request it. So we do not show cards to coaches..Thank you for writing. you sound like you would make a good referee yourself. Please consider joining our ranks.

Answer provided by Referee stewart

I agree with my colleague in the fact that the laws state that only players and substitutes should be carded. Any unruly behaviour by coaches/club officials and/or parents can lead to expulsions from the vicinity but they should not be carded and a report is given to the appropriate association secretary. Youth associations can make minor amendments to the laws, but only as specified in the laws of the game. ie Size of pitch/goals and ball, number of substitutes etc. Unfortunately they cannot amend this part of the law.