Question Number: 15041

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 3/25/2007

RE: Competitive Under 16

Steve of Vero Beach, FL USA asks...

I was the CR in a fairly close Regional Cup U-15 Match. A player from the home team yelled to (not at) his teammate that "we need to stop F#%&ing around and get serious.

Since it was not directed at anyone and more a poor choice of rallying words, I turned to the player and verbally warned him to clean his language up.

Was that correct or should I have cautioned him for USB?

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Steve,
In my opinion you did well to manage the situation in the way you choose to, as what is said is not as important as why, to who and how it is meant! Only if that foul language was ongoing and very loud and your warning ignored could a caution for USB be considered. Mind you it is an opinion as to what constitutes the number 6 of send off criteria.
6. uses offensive or insulting or abusive language and/or gestures
If you ever watch a EPL match that stuff is said and a great deal more so as adults we certainly do not set the bar high on inadvertant language.
You might note I use the word "could" rather than should or would as could leaves you choice to consider other alternatives. I am not against the showing of yellow or red but it is a display for others only AFTER you are left with no better alternatives.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

I agree with Ref. Dawson right up to the time I hear there were a bunch of u-little players watching and listening. They hear as well as the rest do the of us. HOWEVER they can't logically understand the referee handled the issue rather well [for a professional match], they just hear it is OK to use the disgusting word beginning with the sixth letter of the alphabet. So they do so in their next match... Need I say where this goes and goes and goes and goes?

Referee, what is your audience, who is going to emulate this Alpha Hotel's language, is what happens next worth your treating a mouthy 15 year-old like a professional player? I tend to think not.

Early bath young sir...

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

That is up to you. I would have probably cautioned for UNSPORTING here, but you decided to manage the problem differently. Different referees will have different opinions on this.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

I don't recall the exact words said, but I once responded to a U14B, "Nice words, please." That's all it took. He turned around and shouted to his teammates, "Hey guys, the ref won't let us swear."

I know there's some players who, if they eliminated all the cuss words, would be functionally mute. Still, if it's nothing worse than what we're exposed to on network TV while kids and grandmas are watching, why should we expect anything better out on the soccer field? We're not the language police. We are the custodians of offensive, insulting, abusive language.