The last I time I saw this happen, the kid threw the f-bomb at his dad while asking him to keep quiet. Unfortunately, the ref heard this and promptly showed him the red card.
Exactly, we had that discussion in the debrief. It got much worse, he tossed the coach even before he restarted play from the send off. AND, in the last few minutes of the game, a player from the opposing team screamed "sh*%" after missing a shot. Yup, you guessed it, another send off.
How old are these "kids"? Depending on the age and volume I'll go talk to them or show a yellow if it's too loud.
Gah, that's the worst kind of referee. If I got sent off every time I swore out of frustration, I'd never have completed a single half of a soccer game in my life.
If the kid did this in public, you have to wonder how they talk to each other at home. That ref was a little over the top. Especially the second one. A stern warning to the utterers, and make sure everyone knows it. I have seen cautions given for using language not directed at a specific person, but it doesn't seem to be supported by law.
I think the red before the caution should have spoken volumes to the other 21, that's a very stern warning. I agree it seems this might have been excessive but YHTBT. As far as the caution being supported by law the 7 and 7 says under cautions (UB) e. Commits an act which, in the opinion of the referee, shows a lack of respect for the game (e.g., aggressive attitude, inflammatory behavior, or taunting) I can easily get to lack of respect for the game if a player shouts a curse word loud enough to be heard by the sidelines.
Public, Personal and Provocative. This was said/yelled at someone, it was in view of multiple people (the crowd), and it was certainly confrontational even if it was a parent. I know we want to give the kid some slack because they are on "our side" but to a point you have to deal with it. If you are getting rid of a parent or thinking about it then a player uses even worse language and you do nothing it doesn't seem to add up. I agree YHTBT but sometimes it crosses a line even if we appreciate the gesture. I will agree with camconcay that if you gave a red earlier for similar language then that should set they bar. If they are willing to risk it again, then don't disappoint. I am not advocating this was the correct decision but we have to admit there was at least something here that had to be dealt with.
You know, I see all kinds of inconsistency about language, to the detriment of the game. What I was always taught, and have taught other referees, is that we shouldn't give reds for language that isn't directed. Is non-directed language like that really bringing the game into disrepute and/or causing the game to get out of hand? I don't think so. Sorry, but 15 year old boys have heard and used all of those words before, and everybody with a brain knows that. Time out for a non-violent war story: We used to have a guy around here, now deceased, named Tom Reynolds. Tom had been a FIFA Referee from Wales and had refereed at the World Cup. (1970, I think, but don't hold me to it.) He came to the United States when the NASL was started because USSF simply didn't have referees capable of handling those games. In his later years, he became a small college women's coach. One day, one of his players says "S..." when she missed a shot. The referee immediately pulled out a caution. A few minutes later, a second player is cautioned for the same reason. Tom asks the referee why his player was cautioned. The referee said "You can't say s... on the field, coach." So Tom yells to all the players on the field, "YOU CAN'T SAY S... ON THE FIELD!" The referee said, "Thanks, coach." On Saturday night, however, in our elite men's league's championship game, a player received only a caution for calling the referee's mother a prostitute, twice, in his face. Let's just say that, eventually, the game had to be terminated.
I agree 100% that as long as the language is not for the purpose of degrading someone, we can give some leeway. Even at U-14/15. At first perhaps a smile and a quiete word to let everyone know, "ok, he got a freebie on that one, but we need to tone it down a notch." Later on, maybe a strong Collina stare and a couple of harsher words. Not a threat. Just a reminder that this is a gentlemens' game. We don't want kids running around cursing, albeit at themselves, all over the pitch. Adults the same way. "Hey man, there are people here!" referring to the spectators and kids.
While its interesting to discuss the different situations, I think this subject, OFINABUS language, is 100% ITOOTR and can hardly be discussed in the the absence of the heat of the game, the opinions of the referee, age and skill of the player, and overall environment of the league. Carry on!
"I'm not carding you for the unseemly language. I'm carding you for shanking that wide-open shot over the goal."
Our state cup, and regionals in region 1, has a zero tolerance policy. If we hear it, they get sent off. This has led to some rather "interesting" things: - I went deaf once on a emotional outburst - One player go sent off for swearing, coach then said "I told you the f-ing rules you need to stay quiet", then the coach was dismissed.
The reasonable person can dislike a rule but follow it and not complain when its enforced. The unreasonable person dislikes a rule they clearly know about then bitches when they get caught.
Another gem which clearly demonstrates how parents impact the activities of their children without any accountability or concern!
Something I saw, as opposed to heard, but I figured I'd just throw it in here. I'm watching a game back home in the motherland of Australia, and the referee played advantage on an obvious YC foul. Two, maybe even three minutes would have elapsed before a stoppage in play and the YC was issued. This is, by far, the longest amount of time I've ever seen between incident and card. If I had to wait that long in one of my games, with my bad memory, I would've forgotten the player.
Just make sure you hear it in English!! http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/broward/fl-coaches-spanish-20121220-10,0,3436570.story Speechless....