My first post over here in the referee forum, but I've read lots and you usually give sound advice so I thought I'd seek some input here. Profanity. How do you/do you handle this? I've always operated in the same manner. I don't want to hear it and I won't tolerate it on my field. Before every match I inform team captains of this, I tell them I give one warning, second warning I tell them if I hear it again it's a card (yellow outdoors, indoors I'll show blue), third time the card comes out. I consider it USB (quite possibly erroneously) and always have. Tonight a coach called me on it. Close, physical match, both teams were extremely vocal, towards the opposition, towards their teammates and towards myself, only thing is team white was vocal in English, team blue only in Arabic. Late in the second half I showed blue to a member of team white for dropping an F-bomb. Team white coach asked me about the card after the match. I explained that I had told his captains before the match that profanity would result in repeated warnings followed by a card and that particular player had been warned that if let it slip again he'd be shown blue. Coach seemed satisfied with the explanation, actually commended me on not tolerating the profanity, said that as long as the player had been previously warned he couldn't complain about the card. Then he asked me if I spoke Arabic. I of course do not, the following was obvious, how could I penalize one team for something that the other team could not possibly be penalized for. Of course he was right, they could have been cussing at me all night and I wouldn't have known the difference. I just said that it was my policy, both teams were aware and I wouldn't back from it should he see me in a future match and the conversation was left at that. So, I'm just wondering, do other referee's out there let this stuff go? If not what do you do about it? Trivial matter, I know, but I've just always operated in this fashion and now I'm wondering if I'm taking USB just a little too far, maybe I should just let it go. FWIW, it was a mens open division match.
Cussing at the ball is allowed. Cussing at people is not allowed. The exception is if there are spectators then it is not allowed.
If it is a spontaneous eruption directed at self for a screw up, i.e. "S**t! that was a dumb play" and isn't loud, I let it go. After that there is a continuum based on the exact language, the loudness, the target, and the body language. It is a YHTBT call because the specfic dynamics are always different. If a player is facing away from me with his head in his hands and says "S**t Ref, that was an awful call" in a not too loud voice I will certainly talk to him and I might show yellow depending. OTOH if he is in my face and says the same thing he is gone for dissent in a New York minute. My key for non F-bomb cases is whether or not he or she is trying to challenge my authority and show me up in front of the other players. I won't stand for that. Jim
RE: Profanity A lot depends on who I'm reffing. Men's rec gets a lot more leeway than high school or youth games. High school AD's and parents want it more strict, than your rec men's game. In men's most anything goes if it's not directed at the officials or other players and not at an unreasonable level. They're paying your fee and that's what they want.
The FCC puts out a list of seven words you cannot say on television or over the radio....... If they can say it on TV, why would anyone think they couldn't say it on the soccer field? People, are going to imitate what they hear most, so if we try and enforce them keeping it totally clean, we are scooping water out of a sinking ship. (Naturally, anything directed at an opponent superceeds the FCC)
This is the problem with going "I will do this if you do this and this if you do that" before a match, you can be called out on things like this. As far as my policy, I pretty much go as the other posters here suggested, if not at me or other players, I'll let it go, F-bomb seperate of course. I really haven't had any problems with language though, youth or adult. As far as the coach whining about you not understanding Arabic, tell him when his team learns a foreign language that you do not understand, they can cuss at you all they want, but until then...
With the increase in ethnic teams, perhaps it is our responsibility to pick up and learn some of these profane or obscene words and phrases. If we know we are dealing with Arabic teams, learn what phrases you can. If you are dealing with Hispanic teams, learn the more common phrases in Spanish. If you never plan to see that team again, you do your best to keep things under control. One way to look at it is if you did not understand what was said, the other team may not have understood either. The main thing you want to maintain is match control. I would think that match control would be in jeopardy if you do not know the forbidden words in that language and both teams are fluent in that second language. Lastly, I agree that I do not like to tell teams that if they do X, I'll do Y. I prefer to give a more general admonition, such as, "Please watch your language."
Sometimes all you need is to understand the body language and tone of voice. A very satisfying moment on the pitch came after a caution, based only on tone, to a player in an adult OTH match. A teammate with a horrified look shouted, "The ref speaks Italian!", and I didn't hear a peep from them for the rest of the game. (However, I think I pulled a muscle having to force myself not to laugh. ) I had an assessor tell me that I should have sent off a G19 player for chirping, "Kick the f'ing ball", to an opponent who had just whacked her in the ankle. I was on the spot, called the foul, and had a quick word with both. I didn't think anybody else heard the comment. The assessor must have had his hearing aide cranked up. IMNSHO, it would have only been a caution had the voice been louder. (I plead the 5th regarding things that I've said after getting whacked.)
You should have asked the coach if anyone on his team spoke Arabic. If not, then no one was offended by thier remarks. The F-bomb was in English which was spoken by you, your ARs and at least half the people on the sidelines. Since you are the interpreter, you are always correct. The place you can be hurt is when you are reffing two teams who both speak the same language that you do not speak. That is the formula for disaster.
Of course anything directed at an official or opponent must be clamped down on, but having said that anything else depends on level of play, cultural tolerances and where you are playing (ie public park, enclosed stadia etc). For example, if you sent off players for saying the F-word in a Scottish Sunday League you would never finish a match. Similarly the C-word is part of everyday speech in Ireland - even for women. Calling someone a b@stard can be a term of affection in Australia, but a deadly insult to a Spaniard etc etc. The biggest bunch of foulmouths I ever reffed in a match were 2 Womens State League teams - about Div 3 or 4. When I spoke to them after the game tehy basically said the football field was the only place they got to let their hair down and they all enjoyed it!!
This whole discussion reminds me of my army days when a complete sentence contained a verb, a subject, and at least one f word - frequently in the middle of an other word.
Most Americans wouldn't show yellow for telling a tossy to sod off, or calling someone a naff git. But with a British ref ....
Having refereed a few English players who have emigrated to New Zealand I can tell you that English players can be lippy to each other but you have that small percentage who get right into the opponent's face and then start abusing them. That is why British refs are ready to red card players. It is like that old saying that a referee is what the players make him/her. Crowdie
These days you are more likely to find your cellular phone going during a match as the number 8 has texted you his abuse Crowdie
This is basically what we just "learned" at the recert clinic I just attended. It all depends on several factors including volume and target but also the tenor of the match itself. If the players accept the language it's not up to the referee to impose his own standards for such language on the match. The game is for the players, not the referees. I just looked to see if the materials we went through are on the USSF website and they do not appear to be. You have to be aware of language as you do everything else. But if it's truly abusive or insulting language you ought to be pulling out your red card, not a yellow.
Glenn, I hope your clinic also covered the need for refs to consider the audience of any profanity. Even if the players accept the abuse, the younger brothers and sisters on the sideline do not need to hear it. What may be OK in a full stadium might not be acceptable at a local field.
Just because the FCC is now being run by tasteless idiots, doesn't mean we have to be equally foolish. Of course, this is a referee's opinion question. Personally, a U12 player lets out a profanity whatever it's directed at, he gets at minimum a verbal warning and if it's particularly loud, a caution. Adults do get more leeway but there's some things I won't tolerate. I don't want to hear the f bomb or racial slurs,period. If I do and can identify who said it, it's a yellow,regardless of age or skill level.