Where exactly do you draw the line on USB for attitudes, celebration, comments? I don't mean the "textbook" situations like taking the shirt off, using the corner flag etc. But on what the players say/do after scoring or other events on the field. Here's a situation I had this weekend, doing indoors, U16Rec, co-ed. One player, was clearly more skilled than others on the field and for the most part the game was close and he was fairly quiet trying to score. Slowly as his team pulled away, he started up. The fancy moves for no reason, like nobody near him, he would also dribble back towards his own net just to get someone to chase him so he could then take them 1-on-1 with a nice move. The other coach started telling his players to let him go, he's harmless back there, the player started then commenting things like "yup, I'm harmless leave me alone". Twice I told him to knock off the comments, once quietly as he walked by me, the other time I called him over and talked with him since he was getting louder and more mouthy. Finally after a goal by his team, he is rolling around in the center circle yelling out things about "another great goal" etc. I started walking over to him intending to card him for USB anyway, when the opposing coach said something about it being "unsportsman like and uncalled for" the player then got up onto his knees and looked at the coach and said something like "I'm just happy we scored a goal" a small amount of sarcasm tossed in. At this point I immediately pulled the yellow rather than finish my walk over to him. If he had even come close to a swear or offensive it would have been red, the act alone was probably worthy of the yellow, but I had had enough of his building up of attitude. Should I have pulled it sooner? He never really went over the line on any single act until that point, but it was slowly building as the lead got bigger. I figured it was going to happen sooner or later, just hoped he would get the hint from being talked to. Should I have pulled it sooner? the game didn't get out of control and I was watching for fouls growing from this behavior, which didn't happen. It was actually a clean game (both coaches had commented last time they played it got ugly), seemed like previous refs didn't call much for fouls, this one started out with a few bumps, which I called and it settled right down with no problems.
Only two things in your list were UB: Mouthing off after the other coach's instructions and the last goal celebration. One thing to watch for is to make sure the coach's comments are innocent; real tactical instructions to his team and not something meant for the opponent. On the other stuff, you just have to hope the coach takes the little ******** out and he gets on a team at his level. But, him doing all that stuff would have put me at the point of cautioning him first chance I got, when he mouthed off to the other coach.
I think for your situation, I would gauge how the other team is reacting. If he is doing something obviously meant to taunt the other team, then I would give him one talking to and then pull the yellow, especially if I know the other team is getting upset and is likely to commit a stupid foul against him just because of his taunting. If the other team could care less, I wouldn't worry about it and probably not do much more then a comment to the player. Correct me if I'm wrong (I know you will!!), but just because someone is performing actions that are legal, that doesn't mean one can not be cautioned for USB.
Unfortunately, poor sportsmanship and unsporting behavior under the Laws of the Game are two different things.
Agreed there, but there is poor sportsmanship, and then there is taunting. I would think if you could sell something as taunting, you could sell the USB (isn't taunting=USB under the laws?). When I think of poor sportsmanship, I think of a team scoring goal after goal and killing a team 30-0. However, when I see a player dribbling a ball back toward his own goal and doing tricks with himself to show up the other team, I think of taunting. Again, I would think this would only happen at low level youth matches, as in a higher level game/adult game I would think the player doing the taunting/playing around would get clobbered real quick.
At a recent clinic, a National Instructor said the time to pull a card is when "he pisses you off". Aside from his language, the concept is correct. We all know what we want to see and are willing to accept in a game. When a player goes past that point, it is time to reel him in. To define that point is to ask for arguments to your wording. The card should come out when you FEEL someone is getting out of control.
It sounds to me as if the opposing team to your prima donna were getting beat rather handily. Perhaps a word with the coach recommending the boy sit down for a little while since they have the game well in hand. I know you can't tell the coach to take him out, and if he refuses, you may have no choice but to start dealing cards. Or maybe the coach is watching some other game. I'm glad the other team were mature enough to keep their pride from causing them to do something stupid. The other teams coach kind of put you in a pickle with the comment about the players action being unsporting. After that, if you card him, it seems like your acting on the recommendation of the coach and not making your own decisions. I know where I come from, when a team takes a commanding lead, the coaches will take out the "superstars" and put in their less adept players. If there are mandatory subs (like in U-littles) they move the defenders up front and pull the attackers back to defend. One coach I ref regularly; every time a player scores, he switches him to defense.
The winning coach was taking the kid out, then putting him in on defense, it stopped the attack, but started the dribbling backwards show and got his mouth going. The game was even, I think 1-1 at half, ended up 7-3, but as the lead started the mouth started. The USB card was for taunting and it was coming regardless of the other coaches comment, cause as someone mentioned, "he pissed me off"
You mention this is indoor; are we talking about wall-ball indoor soccer, or outdoor soccer played on an indoor field? If wall-ball, just give the snot a blue card right from the get-go of his antics to sit him out. After that it's cake. If outdoor, you mentioned you gave him a warning. And then you gave him a warning. And then he did some other things until the coach made a comment. And finally you gave him a caution. Maybe next time, just give one warning and then give the caution.
Dribbling around and doing tricks with the ball while it is in play can not be punished by the ref. If he opens his mouth as he's doing it, yes. If he makes gestures at opponents, yes. But not just ball tricks. In low level youth matches, you can make suggestions to the coach, but can't actually enforce anything. This was a U16 game. There's something wrong with the team he was playing with since he didn't get hammered.
Right. This also would hopefully cool out the opposing coach, who was apparently lobbing in lots of comments from the sideline. When warning the player, you might also have a friendly quick chat with the opposing coach, asking him to be sure his comments are only tactical instruction to his team, not commentary on what an opposing player is doing. The opposing coach's telling you that the player was misbehaving, when you were pulling the card, is also unnecessary and unhelpful from that coach. I wouldn't discipline the coach at that point, but I would talk to him.
I disagree somewhat. If those tricks are done, ITOOTR, for the sole purpose of taunting the other team, I feel the ref is justified in taking action. Have you seen the video clip of a pro game where a player in the open field suddenly stops, flicks the ball up, and starts doing juggling tricks? Within seconds there is a melee as the other team is clearly incensed at the behavior. In fact, in that game the ref probably never even had time to get close with a card, even had he decided to. I put this in a similar category to calling for the ball. Most of the time, there is nothing to punish, but if done obviously for the sole reason of deceiving an opponent, a caution is in order (IMHO, and in fact I gave out one such the other evening). With US high school players, they should know that taunting is a sending-off offense in NFHS, defined as "use of word or act to incite or degrade an opposing player, coach, referee or other individual." So a yellow card should come as no great surprise, and the NF definition of taunting seems to fit the original scenario. I know you're not under NF rules here, but I think you can use the ideas there to bolster your case in this circumstance.
How are ball tricks in themself illegal? The ball is in play for others to fairly challenge. Do you consider a GK to be time wasting if he lets the ball sit at his feet and doesn't pick it up until a forward runs up and challenges him?
Actions that bring the game into disrepute must be sanctioned as unsporting behavior. It doesn't matter what the action is, use your judgment as needed.
I agree with Blindclown. I can't see how performing legal actions can be sanctioned as USB, regardless of intent- it is not (usually) the referee's job to read intent. In England this would never be cautionable: see http://www.corshamref.net/ go to 'Laws', 'Law 18- Common Sense', then Q7, for the answer that is generally used in similar circumstances: Question 7: An attacking player runs around the goalkeeper. The attacking player finds that he has plenty of time to score. He stops the ball on the goal line, stoops down and 'heads' the ball into the goal. Whilst no obvious infringement of the Laws has been committed - can the Referee caution this player due to the fact that his actions were demeaning and derisory to the opposing team? Answer 7: One of the greatest battles a Referee has, is balancing the need to be able to control the game by proper application of the Laws, in conjunction with the understanding that this is a game where players should enjoy themselves. Common sense says that the incident mentioned above is more likely to be a ‘bit of fun’, and to caution a player may cause more trouble for the Referee than it is worth. If a Referee thinks that the player might have done this act purely as a derisory action against the opposing team, then a strong public word with the perpetrator should suffice. One of the saddest aspects of top level football these days, is the lack of any enjoyment on the players faces. Referees should not make matters any worse by being Killjoys! Referees should not invent offenses!
This may be true, but it does not say the referee should NEVER caution due to something like this. In this example, he does it once and it may simply be a bit of fun. However, he does say that a strong word should be given the first time this happens if the referee thinks it is done as a taunt. In the example given in this thread, the referee did this but the player did not stop his actions. The next step in the process is a caution for USB.
I agree, and would add that context might be important. If a player did that on the ground heading thing when the score is 3-1, and it is a one of a kind spur of the moment action, maybe it is funny, if he does it when the score is 9-0 and a pattern of similar actions had occurred, it is taunting. Personally, I despise hotdogging and taunting, and would probably react negatively.
In my case described, the only "taunting" would have been the kids reply to the coach during play. The coach was giving "tactical" information, he was instructing his players not to chase the kid, which was good strategy cause every time they did, they got beat and were now outnumbered defending. I had no problem, with this, the taunt came from the showoff guy who would then reply "yup, don't chase me, I am harmless, leave me alone" This is what I quietly, then publically warned him over. The coach never made a comment other than above until the kid was rolling on the ground, and by then I was already heading to card him, infact my hand was in my pocket already. What I was looking for and didn't see, was any escalation in fouls, or the defending team getting upset at the moves and comments. Didn't see it, however this all occurred in about a 5 minute span. Game was 1-1 at the half, then the mouth guys team scored 3 goals in less than 5 minutes, then the mouth started. He got his "private warning" then public warning then card in a span of about 3 minutes. It is indoor game with modified FIFA rules, no blue card, but a yellow earns you 2 minutes off the field while your team plays shorthanded (very much like hockey penalty rules). 2 yellow = red = play short rest of game and you are out for 2 extra games. I possibly should have engaged his coach when I gave the warning to the kid, tell the coach he's pushing the limits. Maybe the coach would have done something. One other thing occurred to me after the game was over, on the ride home. One coach warned me that both teams had a hot head, personally I didn't see any sign of anything like this until this point, but I also called it very tight due to that warning. However the other coach, I over heard him telling one of his players "you can give the ref a quick look if you disagree, but keep your mouth shut". Didn't see who he was talking to, but good money says its the mouth. I probably should have shot a look over to see who he was talking to, but I didn't.
Well it sounds like I would have done things the same as you did (this in itself should scare you). Sounds like everyone else on the field could have cared less what the kid was doing, and it sounds as if he wasn't really taunting until he engaged the coach. I think I would have given a very public warning at the intial "yup, don't chase me..." comment so everyone on the field knew you were dealing with it. I can't tell if you did this or just gave a quiet word. Gotta love dealing with the "mouth" of the team!
What if that action is running the score up in a leauge with no mercy rule? Should I caution for goals?
Okay, I should have said 'would not normally be cautionable.' I went a bit too far here. I see nothing wrong with 'running up the score'. Soccer is about scoring goals, after all. I always got far more angry as a player if a team patronised us (my team) by not trying, or by deliberately not scoring goals. If a team gets upset at conceding lots of goals then that's their problem. Maybe they should either learn to a)stop being so easily offended, and develop a thick skin b )play better, or, failing that c)withdraw from the league and stop wasting everybody else's time. The one thing I would do is to crack-down on excessive celebrations following a goal by a team with a big lead, as they really aren't necessary.
I will disagree with you when you are talking about non-top skill level teams. So if I'm handling a division 2 or below youth team, then running up the score is a problematic issue in my personal view. It can easily turn a game very nasty, so I will ask (with as much tact and as subtly as possible) that a coach "call off the dogs" once the win is assured (5 plus goals - more if we are dealing with weak defense on both sides). I've rarely had problems with coaches on this - in fact, often they have started subtly "weakening" their team before I even ask (bench players get more time, star strikers get put on defense, etc...). My rationale is that below the top division, the "fun" aspect is more important and mismatches can occur for both good and bad reasons (bad reason - a coach wants to win and deliberately misclassifies his team. Good - only league in town and the other teams are just better.) Top division - then I'll agree with the "get better" concept - although I will often tighten up the game in terms of my calls and will become very annoyed at any over the top celebrations as these start becoming taunting for the losing team.
I think you are failing to grasp a very important concept as a referee so I'll chalk this up to a lack of experience on your part. The concept you fail to grasp is man management. You can take a passive approach to the sort of thing described here and later deal with the effects of an opponent trying to break the kid's leg or you could interject attempt to manage the player's behavior and by doing so also manage the reactions of his opponents. If you can do something, even if its a simple thing, and prevent something worse later, why not do it? The choice is quite simple, you either pay attention to what's going on and deal with the things that could cause the game to get away from you, or you can let the game degerate into a drunken orgy of violence. The later may happen anyway but at least you did what you could to prevent it. Its one thing to display skill, its quite another to be (pardon me) an ass hole.