Question Number: 16056

Law 12 - Fouls and Misconduct 7/17/2007

RE: Recreational Adult

Kimberley of toronto, ontario Canada asks...

10 minutes into a fairly rough match I was fouled by a punch in the stomach by a player from the opposite team as she attempted to take the ball from my feet.

I was taken aback and shouted out "what the [disgusting word beginning with the sixth letter of the alphabet]" as I stepped away from the player. The referee ran straight to me and gave me a red card. I asked if he was going to do anything about the punch to which he said that he didn't witness it (FYI his linesman did). The comment was made out of a shock reaction to being punched. It was not directed at the officials.


Should I have been given a red card for this offence?

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Referees have to tread the fine line between keeping the game civil, and turning into the language police. Adults from time to time use industrial strength language, and no one in society should be surprised when one of those words sneaks out on the soccer field.

However you said you shouted out the word. Perhaps the volume was such that the referee couldn't ignore it - it was offensive because it could be heard so well. Therefore the sendoff.

The referee should accept the opinion of a neutral assistant referee if he said he saw the punch that the referee missed. But you used the word "linesman" - was this an appointed official, or one supplied by the team? If affiliated with the team, this person is known as a "club line" and should only be giving information on whether the ball went out of play or not. Club lines do not call offside (except some in England do); they do not call fouls, and they certainly do not advise the referee on misconduct.

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

If you use foul, insulting, or abusive language and/or gestures... you should be sent off and shown the red card. However, the intelligent referee will know how to appropriately punish these sorts of things.

While technically correct, I think you were hard done by. That said, next time you feel the need to shout out in shock try using a different word.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Better is why did you do that? Of course easier to say when you are not the one being punched. I agree with my colleagues, what you said and why you said it could have a bearing on receiving a red card for foul, insulting, or abusive language and/or gestures.

If the club linesman was not a neutral AR the referee might not want to accept the info but it begs the question, "Did the AR linesman relate the event to the referee?" The leagues may have a strict zero policy at public fields but as a disgusting word far to common in everyday use, it still is just a word and we could see it as such in these cases.

The referee was the match condition and while perhaps harsh dollars to doughnuts no other foul epitaph was uttered (too loudly)in that match!
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

Sorry to hear about this. The referee missed the punch, but heard your abusive language. He acted upon what he saw/heard and there was nothing else he could do other than confer with the assistant referee. Unfortunatly this is a poor example of preventive officiating by the referee. Had he been on the punch, then you would have never acted in the way that you did. To answer your question, yes you should have been sent off for the abusive language.