The A-League and W-League will this round become the first top-tier domestic competitions in the world to trial yellow and red cards for coaches and other team officials.
The aim of the experimental system is to improve the behaviour of team officials towards match officials.
The head of A-League and W-League, Greg O’Rourke, said cards for coaches would help “better communicate to fans that the referees are giving the coaches and others formal warnings”.
Referees already use their judgment to decide whether certain behaviours constitute a warning (ask), caution (tell) or dismissal (remove). “Essentially, this trial will visualise those steps,” O’Rourke said. He added that the system was important to develop “respect” for referees throughout all tiers of domestic football competition.
“It will help fans and viewers better understand the issues that match officials face on a weekly basis,” he said. “Importantly it will send a strong message throughout the game at grassroots level that poor behaviour towards match officials and opposition team officials is unacceptable and carries consequences.”
Warning (no card)
- Persistent questioning of refereeing decisions
- Minor/low level disagreement with a decision
- Failing to cooperate with a match official
- Entering the field of play in a respectful/non-confrontational manner
- Leaving the technical area in a non-confrontational manner
Caution (yellow card)
- Persistent repeated unacceptable behaviour or repeated warnings
- Dissent by word or action including throwing or kicking objects to show dissent
- Gestures like sarcastic clapping or motioning for a card to be shown
- Clearly/persistently not respecting confines of the technical area
- Deliberately entering the technical area of the opposing team
- Delaying the restart of play by their team
Dismissal (red card)
- Violent conduct, including throwing or kicking objects in a dangerous manner
- Physical or aggressive behaviour, including spitting
- Using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures
- Entering the field of play to interfere with play or an opposing player
- Leaving the technical area to act in a provocative or aggressive manner
- Delaying the restart of play by the opposing team
- Receiving a second yellow card
O’Rourke said the leagues had updated their regulations so that the consequences for accumulating yellow cards for team officials would be the same as players, meaning they would risk missing games for poor behavioural track records.
Behaviours that will draw a caution include throwing/kicking drink bottles or other objects to show dissent and gestures which show clear “lack of respect” for match officials such as “sarcastic clapping” and “not respecting the confines of their team’s technical area”. The trial, approved by the International Football Advisory Board (Ifab), is part of its global “Play Fair” initiative.
