Misconduct (football)
Encyclopedia
Misconduct in association football is any conduct by a player that is deemed by the referee to warrant a disciplinary sanction (caution or dismissal) in accordance with Law 12 of the Laws of the Game. Misconduct may occur at any time, including when the ball is out of play, during half-time and before and after the game, and both players and substitute
s may be sanctioned for misconduct. This is unlike a foul, which may only be committed by a player, and only against an opponent when the ball is in play.
Misconduct may result in the player either receiving a caution (indicated by a yellow card) or being dismissed from the field (indicated by a red card). When a player is cautioned, the player's details are traditionally recorded by the referee in a small notebook; hence, a caution is also known as a booking. The referee has considerable discretion in applying the Laws; in particular, the offence of "unsporting behaviour" may be used to deal with most events that violate the spirit of the game, even if they are not listed as specific offences.
The system of cautioning and dismissal has existed for many decades, but the idea of language-neutral coloured cards originated with British referee Ken Aston
, who got the idea while sitting in his car at a traffic light
. The first major use of the cards was in the 1970 FIFA World Cup
, but they were not made mandatory at all levels until 1982.
A player who has been sent off as a result of having been cautioned twice is required to leave the field of play immediately and take no further part in the game; failure to do so may result in match abandonment.
When a goalkeeper is sent off (by either a second yellow or a red card), he must leave the field immediately. If another goalkeeper is available, he can be substituted for an outfield player. If no substitute goalkeeper is available, or the team has already made the maximum permitted substitutions, an outfield player must go in goal.
Similarly, a sending off usually also results in additional sanctions, most commonly in the form of suspensions from playing for a number of future games, although financial fines may also be imposed. The exact punishments are determined by tournament or competition rules, and not by the Laws of the Game. FIFA in particular has been adamant that a red card in any football competition must result in the guilty player being suspended for at least the next game without the right to appeal.
At the 2006 FIFA World Cup
, any player receiving two yellow cards during the three group stage matches, or two yellow cards in the knockout stage matches had to serve a one-match suspension for the next game. A single yellow card did not carry over from the group stage to the knockout stages. Should the player pick up his second yellow during the team's final group match, he would miss the Round of 16 if his team qualified for it. However, suspensions due to yellow cards do not carry beyond the World Cup finals
.
For the 2010 FIFA World Cup
, the rules were changed so that any player who received two yellow cards between the beginning of the tournament and the end of the quarterfinal round (instead of the end of the group stage matches) would serve a one-match suspension for the next game. As a result, only players that received two yellow cards or a straight red card in the semifinal game would not be able to play in the final.
); his ban is to be served in the next league match. The same principle applies in reverse for players sent off in European or international competition.
Repeated dismissals in the same season will result in ban being extended by one match for each previous dismissal. For example, if a player who already has been sent off twice in the season incurs a third red card for violent conduct, he will be banned for five games (three for the violent conduct plus two on account of the previous dismissals). The FA will also suspend players every time they accumulate five cautions in a season. Players will miss one match after five cautions, two after ten and three after fifteen. Should anyone record twenty cautions in a season he will be summoned to a disciplinary hearing.
Current FA rules allow a ban to be overturned with a successful appeal for wrongful dismissal. The onus is on the player to prove his case and the ban can be extended if the FA deems the appeal to be frivolous. As such, most clubs will not appeal unless they are certain that they have a good case. Appeals must be made within a day or two of the match, and a decision will always be reached prior to the club's next scheduled match. In the case of a red card that was shown after two yellow cards, the player is dismissed and receives a one-match ban without the right to appeal, excluding mistaken identity.
The FA's appeals policy is generally seen as quite restrictive and only a small percentage of red cards are ever overturned. However, it should be noted that until the current policy was enacted during the early 2000s, the FA's disciplinary policy was somewhat more lenient, and three-match bans sometimes did not take effect until as late as two weeks after the red card was issued. Nonetheless, successful red card appeals have become a source of friction between the FA and FIFA. FIFA President Sepp Blatter
has occasionally mooted going so far as to suspend the FA from FIFA and barring England from international tournaments for its continued defiance of FIFA directives. Eventually, FIFA backed down and granted conditional dispensation to the FA system, provided appeals are only upheld "in cases where video evidence is absolutely clear the referee has made a 'serious and obvious error'".
The use of video replays has also been a point of contention with regard to its actual or potential use for both red card appeals and retroactive yellow or red cards for diving. Trials for this technology (Hawk-Eye
) commenced in England in 2007, and the Football Association has declared the system as "ready for inspection by FIFA".
In addition, a player is cautioned and shown a yellow card for "unsporting behaviour" which includes but is not limited to:
A substitute or substituted player is cautioned and shown the yellow card if he/she commits any of the following three offences:
A player, substitute or substituted player who has been dismissed and shown the red card may not remain on or in the vicinity of the field of play or the technical area. Generally, a player who has been dismissed will be expected to proceed to the dressing room immediately.
A change in 2004 to the Laws of the Game championed by FIFA President Sepp Blatter
mandated automatic yellow cards for players who remove their shirts while celebrating goals. In addition, an instruction has been in the additional instructions at the end of the Laws of the Game for some time that should a player jump over or climb on to a perimeter fence to the Field of Play, they should be cautioned for unsporting behaviour. This was seen as mainly preventing incidents in professional football matches where crowds had rushed towards players and had led to injuries.
If the misconduct occurs when the ball is in play, play need not be stopped to administer a caution or a dismissal, as these may be done at the next stoppage of play (this is usually the case when the opposing team would gain an advantage in having play continue). When this is the case, play is restarted according the reason for the ball becoming out of play, e.g. a throw-in
if play stopped due to the ball crossing a touchline.
If play is stopped to administer a caution or dismissal:
The league sanction for a sent-off coach or manager is normally a ban from being in the dugout or in the changing-room for a certain number of matches thereafter. The particular football association determines the length of the ban.
Substitute (football)
In association football, a substitute is a player who is brought on to the pitch during a match in exchange for an existing player. Substitutions are generally made to replace a player who has become tired or injured, or who is not performing well; there may also be tactical reasons such as...
s may be sanctioned for misconduct. This is unlike a foul, which may only be committed by a player, and only against an opponent when the ball is in play.
Misconduct may result in the player either receiving a caution (indicated by a yellow card) or being dismissed from the field (indicated by a red card). When a player is cautioned, the player's details are traditionally recorded by the referee in a small notebook; hence, a caution is also known as a booking. The referee has considerable discretion in applying the Laws; in particular, the offence of "unsporting behaviour" may be used to deal with most events that violate the spirit of the game, even if they are not listed as specific offences.
The system of cautioning and dismissal has existed for many decades, but the idea of language-neutral coloured cards originated with British referee Ken Aston
Ken Aston
Kenneth George "Ken" Aston, MBE was an English teacher, soldier, and football referee, who was responsible for many important developments in football refereeing.- Early life and career :...
, who got the idea while sitting in his car at a traffic light
Traffic light
Traffic lights, which may also be known as stoplights, traffic lamps, traffic signals, signal lights, robots or semaphore, are signalling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings and other locations to control competing flows of traffic...
. The first major use of the cards was in the 1970 FIFA World Cup
1970 FIFA World Cup
The 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by...
, but they were not made mandatory at all levels until 1982.
During a match
A player who has been cautioned and then shown a yellow card may continue to play in a match. A caution may be defined as "the first and the last warning provided to a player for misconduct during a match". If a player is cautioned again in the same match, the second yellow card is immediately followed by the showing of the red card, and the player is dismissed from the field of play.A player who has been sent off as a result of having been cautioned twice is required to leave the field of play immediately and take no further part in the game; failure to do so may result in match abandonment.
When a goalkeeper is sent off (by either a second yellow or a red card), he must leave the field immediately. If another goalkeeper is available, he can be substituted for an outfield player. If no substitute goalkeeper is available, or the team has already made the maximum permitted substitutions, an outfield player must go in goal.
Post-match
Many football leagues and federations have off-field penalties for players who accumulate a certain number of cautions in a season, tournament or phase of a tournament. Typically, these take the form of a suspension from playing in their team's next game(s) after that number of cautions has been reached (usually two in international tournaments and five in a league season). Such off-field penalties are determined by league rules, and not by the Laws of the Game.Similarly, a sending off usually also results in additional sanctions, most commonly in the form of suspensions from playing for a number of future games, although financial fines may also be imposed. The exact punishments are determined by tournament or competition rules, and not by the Laws of the Game. FIFA in particular has been adamant that a red card in any football competition must result in the guilty player being suspended for at least the next game without the right to appeal.
At the 2006 FIFA World Cup
2006 FIFA World Cup
The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament. It was held from 9 June to 9 July 2006 in Germany, which won the right to host the event in July 2000. Teams representing 198 national football associations from all six...
, any player receiving two yellow cards during the three group stage matches, or two yellow cards in the knockout stage matches had to serve a one-match suspension for the next game. A single yellow card did not carry over from the group stage to the knockout stages. Should the player pick up his second yellow during the team's final group match, he would miss the Round of 16 if his team qualified for it. However, suspensions due to yellow cards do not carry beyond the World Cup finals
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
.
For the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
, the rules were changed so that any player who received two yellow cards between the beginning of the tournament and the end of the quarterfinal round (instead of the end of the group stage matches) would serve a one-match suspension for the next game. As a result, only players that received two yellow cards or a straight red card in the semifinal game would not be able to play in the final.
The Football Association
In England, as of 2008, if a direct red card is shown, then the player in question is dismissed from the field immediately and normally faces a one-, two- or three-match ban depending on the offence, which exceeds the FIFA minimum. Suspensions apply to the player's next competitive domestic matches, whether these be in league or cup competitions. FIFA does not normally expect a red-carded player in a domestic league match to sit out the national cup or international competition (such as the UEFA Champions LeagueUEFA Champions League
The UEFA Champions League, known simply the Champions League and originally known as the European Champion Clubs' Cup or European Cup, is an annual international club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations since 1955 for the top football clubs in Europe. It...
); his ban is to be served in the next league match. The same principle applies in reverse for players sent off in European or international competition.
Repeated dismissals in the same season will result in ban being extended by one match for each previous dismissal. For example, if a player who already has been sent off twice in the season incurs a third red card for violent conduct, he will be banned for five games (three for the violent conduct plus two on account of the previous dismissals). The FA will also suspend players every time they accumulate five cautions in a season. Players will miss one match after five cautions, two after ten and three after fifteen. Should anyone record twenty cautions in a season he will be summoned to a disciplinary hearing.
Current FA rules allow a ban to be overturned with a successful appeal for wrongful dismissal. The onus is on the player to prove his case and the ban can be extended if the FA deems the appeal to be frivolous. As such, most clubs will not appeal unless they are certain that they have a good case. Appeals must be made within a day or two of the match, and a decision will always be reached prior to the club's next scheduled match. In the case of a red card that was shown after two yellow cards, the player is dismissed and receives a one-match ban without the right to appeal, excluding mistaken identity.
The FA's appeals policy is generally seen as quite restrictive and only a small percentage of red cards are ever overturned. However, it should be noted that until the current policy was enacted during the early 2000s, the FA's disciplinary policy was somewhat more lenient, and three-match bans sometimes did not take effect until as late as two weeks after the red card was issued. Nonetheless, successful red card appeals have become a source of friction between the FA and FIFA. FIFA President Sepp Blatter
Sepp Blatter
Joseph S. Blatter , commonly known as Sepp Blatter, is a Swiss football administrator, who serves as the 8th and current President of FIFA . He was elected on 8 June 1998, succeeding João Havelange. He was re-elected as President in 2002, 2007, and 2011...
has occasionally mooted going so far as to suspend the FA from FIFA and barring England from international tournaments for its continued defiance of FIFA directives. Eventually, FIFA backed down and granted conditional dispensation to the FA system, provided appeals are only upheld "in cases where video evidence is absolutely clear the referee has made a 'serious and obvious error'".
The use of video replays has also been a point of contention with regard to its actual or potential use for both red card appeals and retroactive yellow or red cards for diving. Trials for this technology (Hawk-Eye
Hawk-Eye
Hawk-Eye is a complex computer system used in cricket, tennis and other sports to visually track the trajectory of the ball and display a record of its most statistically likely path as a moving image. In cricket and tennis, it is now part of the adjudication process. It was developed by engineers...
) commenced in England in 2007, and the Football Association has declared the system as "ready for inspection by FIFA".
Cautionable offences (yellow card)
A player is cautioned and shown a yellow card if he/she commits any of the following offences:- Dissent by word or action
- Persistent infringement on the Laws of the Game
- Delaying the restart of play (includes deliberate time-wasting tactics)
- Failure to respect the required distance when play is restarted with a corner kick, throw-in or free kick
- Entering or re-entering the field of play without the referee's permission
- Deliberately leaving the field of play without the referee's permission.
In addition, a player is cautioned and shown a yellow card for "unsporting behaviour" which includes but is not limited to:
- Extravagant celebration, such as covering one's head with one's jersey, or removing it over the head, and entering the crowd.
- Simulating actions intended to deceive the referee, such as divingDiving (football)In association football, diving is an attempt by a player to gain an unfair advantage by diving to the ground and possibly feigning an injury, to appear as if a foul has been committed. Dives are often used to exaggerate the amount of contact present in a challenge...
. - A reckless challenge or tackle.
- Beginning with the 2010 FIFA World Cup2010 FIFA World CupThe 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
, feigning a kick during a penalty kickPenalty kickA penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
.
A substitute or substituted player is cautioned and shown the yellow card if he/she commits any of the following three offences:
- Unsporting behaviour (as above).
- Showing dissent by word or action.
- Delaying the restart of play.
Sending-off offences (red card)
A player, substitute or substituted player is dismissed from the field of play and shown the red card if he/she commits any of the following offences:- Serious foul play
- Violent conduct
- Using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures
- Spitting at an opponent or any other person
- Denying the opposing team a goal or an obvious goalscoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball (this does not apply to a goalkeeper inside his/her own penalty area)
- Denying an obvious goalscoring opportunity to an opponent moving towards the player’s goal by an offence punishable by a free kick or a penalty kick (known as a professional foulProfessional foulIn sports, a professional foul is a deliberate act of foul play, usually to prevent an opponent's scoring.-Association football:The concept gained notoriety in association football after an infamous incident in the 1980 FA Cup Final when Willie Young of Arsenal committed a deliberate foul on Paul...
or "last hope"/"last man" foul) - Receiving a second caution (yellow card) in the same match
A player, substitute or substituted player who has been dismissed and shown the red card may not remain on or in the vicinity of the field of play or the technical area. Generally, a player who has been dismissed will be expected to proceed to the dressing room immediately.
Discretion
The referee has a very large degree of discretion as to whether an act constitutes a cautionable offence under these very broad categories. For this reason, refereeing decisions are sometimes controversial. Other Laws may specify circumstances under which a caution should or must be given, and numerous directives to referees also provide guidance.A change in 2004 to the Laws of the Game championed by FIFA President Sepp Blatter
Sepp Blatter
Joseph S. Blatter , commonly known as Sepp Blatter, is a Swiss football administrator, who serves as the 8th and current President of FIFA . He was elected on 8 June 1998, succeeding João Havelange. He was re-elected as President in 2002, 2007, and 2011...
mandated automatic yellow cards for players who remove their shirts while celebrating goals. In addition, an instruction has been in the additional instructions at the end of the Laws of the Game for some time that should a player jump over or climb on to a perimeter fence to the Field of Play, they should be cautioned for unsporting behaviour. This was seen as mainly preventing incidents in professional football matches where crowds had rushed towards players and had led to injuries.
Restarts
If the ball is out of play when the misconduct occurs, play is restarted according to the reason the ball became out of play before the misconduct.If the misconduct occurs when the ball is in play, play need not be stopped to administer a caution or a dismissal, as these may be done at the next stoppage of play (this is usually the case when the opposing team would gain an advantage in having play continue). When this is the case, play is restarted according the reason for the ball becoming out of play, e.g. a throw-in
Throw-in
A throw-in is a method of restarting play in a game of Association football.-Procedure:The throw-in is taken from the point where the ball crossed the touch-line. The throw-in is taken by the opponents of the player who last touched the ball when it crossed the touch-line, either on the ground or...
if play stopped due to the ball crossing a touchline.
If play is stopped to administer a caution or dismissal:
- If a foul has occurred as well as misconduct, play is restarted according to the nature of the foul (either an indirect free kickIndirect free kickAn indirect free kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association football. Unlike a direct free kick, a goal may not be scored directly from the kick. The law was derived from the Sheffield Rules that stated that no goal could be scored from a free kick...
, direct free kickDirect free kickA direct free kick is a method of restarting play in a game of association football following a foul. Unlike an indirect free kick, a goal may be scored directly against the opposing side without the ball having first touched another player.-Award:...
or penalty kickPenalty kickA penalty kick is a type of direct free kick in association football, taken from twelve yards out from goal and with only the goalkeeper of the defending team between the penalty taker and the goal.Penalty kicks are performed during normal play...
to the opposing team); - If no foul under Law 12 has occurred, play is restarted with an indirect free kick to the opposing team.
Team officials
Team officials such as managers and coaches may not be cautioned or sent from the technical area in the above manner. However, according to Law 5 the referee "takes action against team officials who fail to conduct themselves in a responsible manner and may, at his discretion, expel them from the field of play and its immediate surroundings."The league sanction for a sent-off coach or manager is normally a ban from being in the dugout or in the changing-room for a certain number of matches thereafter. The particular football association determines the length of the ban.
See also
- Laws of the Game
- Foul (association football)