Send off the whole team!

Technically, you can't send 'em all off. At some point you get below the minimum number to continue the game and it must be abandoned.

Not that I haven't been tempted to send everyone off.

 

Really? I mean I understand what you're saying, but what if multiple players got into a fight. Red cards can only be shown until you get to the player minimum, and the others get off with only a write up? I don't know that it matters, and hope that this situation never presents itself, but it would seem to be better practice to issue cards for all improper conduct that occurred prior to the game's abandonment.

 

"Vasco da Gama -- who mocked opponents Flamengo by eating dried cod balls at the end"

Nothing makes the competition madder than eating dried cob balls.

 

It is very hard to tell from the press account, but it would appear that the referee would dismiss the coach and bench personel, and only send-off the players who became involved, and at some point, the game would be abandoned. If all 11 of the players were guilty of misconduct, then all would be sanctioned and shown the appropriate card.

There is no reason that a referee must stop after issuing the fifth send-off if all 11 players were guilty, even if the game did not continue, the referee's authority and power to deal with misconduct remains until the refree and crew leave the field of play.

 

The article doesn't say whether or not he showed all the yellow cards first. After all, they were delaying a restart, not committing any of the red card offenses. The send-off would come only after the players earned their second yellow (presumably both for delay).

In this case I doubt that all the players will be credited (debited?) with a send-off. If so, they'd have a hard time getting a roster up for their next game. Most likely the competition authority will read the ref's report and decide on appropriate sanction(s) - e.g. forfeit of the game, team or individual fines, etc.

However, in the event that more than 5 players commit red-card infractions simultaneously (say VC in a brawl) they should all be written up. It doesn't matter that once the 5th red card is recorded the game will have to be terminated. If 8 players commit VC, 8 players are written up. In fact, if a game is terminated and someone commits an offense after that point, that player should be written up as well. Just like a ref can write up a player for actions following the completion of a game (without showing the card), he can and should write up offenses that occur following the termination of a game. (Wouldn't apply to the game in question, as you can no longer delay a restart if there isn't going to be a restart.)

 

Remember that cards technically only affect the ability to play in the match. Post-match consequences are a matter of the league, and whether you're a bad boy with a red card or a bad boy from brawl where the game was terminated (hate the word "abandoned"), the consequences are specific to the league not the LOTG. As Iowa points out, at some point their superfluous.

 

Yah, for that situation. But for other situations where you would give red cards beyond a number which would take a team below the minimum, if they were warranted, it would probably be best to give them, just so it's clear to league officials who deserves suspensions, disciplinary action, etc.

 

And of course at the root of all the trouble was the infamous "controversial penalty". Is that a phrase that all sports-journalist-wannabe''s are required to memorize their freshman year in college?