Question Number: 15446

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 5/10/2007

RE: Select Under 17

Cory of Menifee, California United States asks...

At the takding of a penalty kick (due to misconduct by the keeper), a player from the offending team ran in front of the ball before the opposing team could take the kick and spit on the ball. The centre referee decided to give the spitting player a red card and he left the feild without complaint. At the half time interval the coach came out yelling and screeming at the referee that there was absolutely no way that the player could have been sent off for just spitting on the ball. The coach succeded in convincing the referee and the call was changed to a caution and the player was allowed to play the second half. I suppose the question i pose to you is, did the referee make the correct decision and was the referee in the right by ejecting the player in the first place?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Law 12 says a player is sent off if he, "3. spits at an opponent or any other person." Since the ball is not a person, he shouldn't have been sent off. Instead he should be cautioned for USB or dissent, take your pick. And the actions are disgusting enough that the ref would be justified in wanting to find a second cautionable offense so the player could be sent off - but he would have to do so without stretching things so thin that they break.

Then at halftime the coach comes out "yelling and screaming at the referee". This is permitted? We have another problem here.

And then the ref reverses his incorrect decision and allows the player to resume playing. Since this occurred just prior to a penalty kick, play obviously resumed before the yelling and screaming coach incident. So the timeframe in which the ref could change his mind had expired.

An unfortunate series of events.

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

Law 12 also says a player is sent-off if he: "6. uses offensive or insulting or abusive language and/or gestures" In a stretch the act of spitting on the ball before an opponents penalty kick is at the least an offensive act/gesture -- yes/no???

The other thing listening to a coach "yelling and screaming" at him. Well that had better not happen for two reasons. First, what kind of example does this set for the children, yes they still are, on his team. Second, what does this say about his respect for the authority figure the referee represents? Third, it is insulting to the referee and for the insult a player is sent-off, as explained above. Lastly, the match would, probably, be better if he just went and sat in his dirty old pickup.

A referee may change a decision until he allows play to restart, I assume play restarted when the penalty kick was taken, so the decision to send-off the "gentleman" is cast in stone.

Was he right to honor the spitting player's request for an early bath, I tend to think so...

Regards,