Question Number: 35347

Other 2/9/2024

RE: Adult

craig taylor of Surrey, Surrey United Kingdom asks...

why does Mikel Arteta keep leaving his technical area most of the game and has not been shown a yellow card? surely the rules are your not allowed to leave the technical area ( the area is big enough ) unless a doctor or physio is to enter the field of play or the subs are warming up.
I think that the FA needs to start showing yellow cards to managers who leave the technical area.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Craig
Thanks for the question.
As set out in the Laws of the Game it is a caution when team officials clearly / persistently do not respect the confines of their team’s technical area. The FA has set out guidelines for conduct through various initiatives.

For what it is worth I think that PL match officials including the 4th officials adopt a very generous approach to the movement instruction while managing technical areas.

Arteta is not alone in this and there are plenty of examples of mangers not respecting the confines of the areas. From what I perceive cards are only issued when the action is egregious rather than an excursion out of the area for whatever reasons.
So the focus is on conduct rather than movement alone. There are plenty of examples of cards for inappropriate conduct in the technical areas yet not so many for movement alone.
Obviously the thinking is not to adopt zero tolerance on movement and unless the conduct has match control consequences it is ignored with the manager probably responding to instructions by the 4th official.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

HI Craig ,
it is really a matter of consequences and actions. Unless the managers are interfering with the 4th or AR duties and not spouting total rubbish at the CR we ignore them and concentrate on the game. My opinion is if it is an issue FINE the teams a $$$$ penalty for a wandering coach should be sufficient .plus there is a visual record! The yellow card or red card are for serious matters that pertain to the game. More for the non professional games to give a referee greater support at the grassroots when dealing with non televised behaviour of the team officials. At the elite level it is all about the money, ego and prestige
Cheers