Question Number: 17278

League Specific 10/13/2007

RE: High School High School

Anthony of Eastsound, WA U.S.A. asks...

Does saying "Oh my God" count as vulgar or "profane" language? I ask this because a referee almost gave me a yellow card because he thought I said "God" after I missed the ball. He said, "God is a person I worship. Do not say his name in vein on this field".

Answer provided by Referee Chuck Fleischer

This all depends on the opinion of the referee. One referee might be fine with it and another send the player off. The best thing I can recommend is say nothing until someone else breaks the ice and you find out for sure.

Regards,

Answer provided by Referee Keith Contarino

While I personnaly find this to be ludicrous, any referee may feel anything is insulting, offensive or abusive in nature so watch what you say.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

While I can respect another opinion, in this referee's opinion no reasonably sane referee would find it abusive unless coupled with other euphuisms, it certainly could be a form of dissent in context but if the word: God: is being banned on the USA flag certificate it shows how scared people can be! Those who worship the creator be it God, Allah, Jehovah etc .need to take a chill pill on things our Lord would frown on to see in such strict judgment. Faith is a good thing; religion can be, only if those who claim to be part of it actually understand their role in it! The rational equivalency of our conscience is in fact is the moral compass installed in all people of all faiths. Too many forget to set the declination correctly and head on the wrong paths.
Cheers

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

Anthony, there is no list of words which are always or never vulgar, profane or obscene, and there should never be such a list! Under the Laws, language which is offensive, insulting or abusive (in the opinion of the referee) can result in a player being sent off. Instructors try to help referees make sane judgments in this sensitive area, and do try to help them understand a send off for language is supposed to be for language which brings the game into disrepute or that causes extreme disruption on the field, not just for language the referee himself would never use. For instance, in an adult game, the F-word often flies around like the winged version, but unless it is directed in an offensive or insulting way at me, my ARs or in anger or insult at an opponent, I usually ignore it because it is not normally affecting the game or the players. On the other hand, one of my U17 players was sent-off in a game for saying "Damn" when she missed a shot. Go figure! So the advice above is good - unless you know the referee and the tolerance level, best to watch carefully what you say until you can swim safely.

Answer provided by Referee Steve Montanino

In my 2nd year of refereeing I once cautioned a 9 year old player for saying "Jesus Christ!", I thought given the age that this was warranted.

I don't know if I would do that now, but I know back then I wouldn't have cautioned a person for doing the same thing if they were say 14 years old or something like that. Sometimes age and context also play a role in this.

Answer provided by Referee Ben Mueller

Depends on the referees interpretation of the language. According to the LOTG, that could fall under unsporting if the referee perceives it as such. It also could be considered distrating to the other players which could be why the referee felt it was unsporting.