Question:
The Technical Area
– Only one person at a time is authorized to convey tactical instructions and he must return to his position after giving these instructions. – The coach and other occupants of the technical area must behave in a responsible manner.What constitutes tactical instructions and what constitutes responsible behavior?

My concern is a local youth coach who begins to scream at his players when the game begins and does not stop until long after the game is over. With every touch of the ball by his team he gives (screams) instructions to the players off the ball as well as the player with the ball. With every touch of the ball by the other team he is giving (screaming) specific instructions to each player on his team as fast as he can get them out of his mouth. Much of what he says is negative and all mistakes are pointed out and players are taken to task. He is a physically intimidating person who loves to argue about anything and most area referees just stay as far away from him as they can.

We, of course, do not have 4th officials at our youth games. I do believe that if there were clear instructions to head and assistant referees as to responsible behavior in the Technical Area and what constitutes allowable “tactical instructions” that some actions would begin to be taken to stop behavior that I believe is unsporting conduct at the very least.

This person’s behavior affects every person on the field, on the benches, in the spectators area, all coaches and not too mention the referees. In my mind it is in the same category as an opponent coming up behind a player receiving the ball and yelling “I got it” at the top of their lungs.

Specific recommendations on those definitions would be positive points of action that we could build on to improve the conduct of our youth games.

USSF answer (December 31, 2007):
A very interesting question. There is a national trend within the soccer community toward eliminating abuse of young people by any adults. You, as a referee, are certainly empowered to ensure responsible behavior by the team officials. The method chosen would be up to the individual referee.

The Laws of the Game tell us that “[a]ll [team] officials must remain within the confines of the technical area, where such area is provided, and they must behave in a responsible manner.” The Laws also tell us about the technical area and its measurements. Without going into precise detail on the matter, we can agree that this suggests that — no matter how innocent their intentions — team officials should remain along the touch line and stay out of areas where they could be considered to be interfering with play or not behaving in a responsible manner, even in under-tiny soccer. Spectators may remain behind the goal line, but only if they are far enough away so as not to interfere with the game.

We can add that, under the Law, any POSITIVE coaching is allowed from the technical area, as long as only one person speaks at a time and then returns to his seat on the bench. As a practical matter, particularly at the youth level, any POSITIVE coaching is allowed. In either case, whether at the level of the least experienced players (and coaches) or at the highest levels, any case in which the coach behaves irresponsibly will result in the coach being dismissed. (Two examples from among many: ranting at the referee, overt participation in deception of the opposing team.)

A coach has no “right” to anything in the game of soccer, other than the right to conduct him-/herself responsibly during the game — from within the technical or bench area — while offering advice to his/her team’s players. A referee who allows coaches or other team officials to parade around the field or shout abuse at players in the guise of instruction, in contravention of the requirements in Law 5 that coaches behave responsibly and that referees not permit anyone other than players to enter the field, should be ashamed.

Coaches are expected to behave responsibly. (See Law 5 and Law 3, IBD 2, the only places in the Laws that team officials are mentioned.) The referee’s first line of defense (unless the behavior is REALLY egregious) is to warn the coach who is behaving irresponsibly. This is the equivalent of a caution, but no card is shown. Then, when the behavior persists (as it usually does, because most coaches who behave this way fail to understand that they must change their errant ways), the coach is expelled from the field for failing to behave in a responsible manner. Please note that under the Laws of the Game, no card may be shown; however, showing the card may be a requirement of the rules of the competition.

In all events you should prepare a supplemental game report or letter to the league on the matter. You might also suggest in the report or letter that they send someone to monitor a couple of games. The letter could be written in such a way that says perhaps the coach was having a bad day, but it should suggest that it might be beneficial to the children involved if someone from the league dropped in for a game or two just to make sure.

5.10 BEHAVIOR OF COACH AND BENCH PERSONNEL
Coaches or other team officials, one at a time, may provide tactical advice to their players, including positive remarks and encouragement. The referee should only take action against coaches or other team officials for irresponsible behavior or for actions that bring the game into disrepute. A coach or other team official may not be cautioned or sent off nor shown any card; however, at the discretion of the referee, such persons may be warned regarding their behavior or expelled from the field of play and its immediate area. When a coach or other team official is expelled, the referee must include detailed information about such incidents in the match report. The maximum numbers of substitutes and substitutions are set by the competition authority and with the agreement of the two teams within the requirements of Law 3. Additional people in the technical area, such as team members who are not named as players or substitutes (for the current game) on the roster or parents or other persons involved with the team, are permitted to be seated with the team in the technical area (or other designated team area) only if this is allowed by the competition authority. Such persons will be considered team officials and are therefore held to the same standards of conduct specified in Law 5 as other team officials. Although team officials cannot commit misconduct or be shown a card, they may be ordered from the field for irresponsible behavior. Full details must be included in the match report.

You ask what constitutes responsible behavior. It means that the coach or other team official has not stuck to what their part of the game is, issuing tactical instructions or praise to their players. If they go beyond those bounds, then their behavior is irresponsible. Shouting abuse and heaping derision on players is irresponsible behavior and brings the game into disrepute.

As to what bringing the game into disrepute means in the normal course of the game, this answer of September 7, 2006, should give you all the information you need:

“Bringing the game into disrepute’ means doing something that is totally counter the spirit of the game, which is meant to be played fairly and in a sporting manner. Such acts show a lack of respect for the game, e. g., aggressive attitude, inflammatory behavior, deliberately kicking the ball into one’s own goal or taunting.” It also includes intimidation and arguing with the referee.

Question:
The following incident occurred during a recent Midwest Regional League match between U15 girls. Near the beginning of the second half with the score tied at 0, a defender on Team A won the ball in her own third and began dribbling up the side on which I was the AR. The wing midfielder on Team B pursued the defender and caught her at midfield. The defender played the ball a little forward to set up a long pass and the opposing midfielder stepped between the defender and the ball. Without intending to, the defender kicked the midfielder in the back of the legs, she fell forward, and landed on the ball. The Referee blew his whistle and pointed in the direction of Team A. When he came over to spot the ball, I asked him whether the ball should not be given to Team B since it was their player who got kicked. He agreed and reversed the call. Team A’s coach went ballistic saying that his player had possession. He became so loud that the Field Marshal came over to calm him down, but he began yelling at the FM and was escorted from the field (the Referee did not dismiss him).

Two questions:
1. What is the correct call? Should the Referee have called a foul? Should the ball be given to Team A or Team B?
2. Should we have stuck with the original call, since neither coach was complaining about a free kick for Team A at midfield?

I don’t think the call affected the outcome, a 0-0 draw. However, I still felt bad that Team A had to play without their coach for most of the second half.

Answer (October 29, 2007):
1. If we read the scenario correctly, the referee should have called a foul on the player who kicked the opponent in the back of the legs. That would give the ball to Team B.

2. If the original call was wrong, then there was no reason to stick with it.

Referees (and ARs) must learn to be alert to complaints by coaches and players, but not necessarily to “hear” them or allow them to influence any decisions; the referee should measure the content of the complaint against what he or she has seen on the field thus far in the game and allow that to guide decision making Remember that coaches usually see the game only in one light, that which is most favorable to their team. They will complain about anything that does not go their way. This seems to work out well in this country, particularly if the coach has a foreign accent. However, if you watch higher-level teams, whose coaches and players are highly experienced, you will find that most of them — except perhaps in this country, where whiners abound — do not object to calls that go against them, knowing that the referee is not going to change his or her mind.

As to the field marshal escorting the coach from the field, that is a matter covered by the rules of the competition, something not governed by the U. S. Soccer Federation.…

Question:

In a competitive division match, a player who was playing poorly was asked to come the sideline by the coach. I noted this as I turned to follow play and gave a quick glance over my shoulder as I continued down field. When I turned back again, I noticed the player sitting on the bench. A minute or so passed before the next stoppage and the player remained on the bench. Before allowing play to resume, I approached the coach and player on the bench and explained that the player failed to obtain my permission before leaving the field of play and I displayed the yellow card. The coach did not agree with the decision.

After the match, I consulted the Advice to refresh myself on the subject since it wasn’t something I was used to seeing. The Advice seemed to ‘advise’ that this may be a trifiling incident and that I should have considered a simple warning. After consulting several other referees, they all seem to think that my situation did not fit the situations described in the Advice and that I was correct to display the card.

I’m not sure the situation is really well covered. The player did not simply forget to obtain my permission. The coach was going off the premise, so I believe, that she did not need to ask my permission.

What say you?

Answer (October 24, 2007):
We are not sure why you feel that the situation of the player leaving the field without permission is not well covered. The Advice is quite clear about the ramifications of the several variations on this offense:

12.28.7 DELIBERATELY LEAVES THE FIELD OF PLAY WITHOUT PERMISSION
Players who leave the field without the referee’s permission most often do so for unsporting reasons – for example, to create an unfair offside situation (see Advice 11.10). They may also leave the field to indicate dissent or to “manage” the referee’s next decision.If a player does leave the field for some other reason without the referee’s permission to do so, and this results in gaining a tactical advantage for his or her team, the player has committed misconduct and must be cautioned and shown the yellow card.

Where it is apparent to the referee that the player leaving the field without permission has not done so to express dissent or to gain an unfair advantage (e. g., exited to change shoes or replace a torn jersey) and has merely forgotten to obtain permission (or thought he or she had obtained it), the referee should consider this a trifling breach of the Laws. A word/warning to the player should be sufficient in such circumstances, even if that player then re-enters the field without obtaining the referee’s permission.

A case could be made that the true violator of the Laws here is the coach. She behaved irresponsibly by calling the player from the field without your permission and leaving the player there. That would be grounds for her expulsion from the field and its immediate environs. However, we suspect that the coach is as ignorant of the Law as the player and the referee should consider giving the coach the same sort of slack as we recommend for the player — under these circumstances. The core issue here is the difference between a correct decision and the best decision. Cautioning the player and expelling the coach would be “a” correct decision, but “the” correct decision might be something else. The referee’s decision must be based on the level of play and the experience of the players and the coaches.…

Question:
I recently attended a select soccer tournament in [another state] where the following event occurred:

During a break away, off sides was called against the player who emerged from the pack with the ball. The coach (Team A) erupted in protest as the ball was awarded to the opposing team, using no profanity or threatening language. The official, ignoring the coach, proceeded with play and awarded the ball to the opposing team. No warning was issued from the official, no card was displayed, play continued. The coach returned to the bench with no further protest.

The coach (Team B) advised the coach for Team A that he was having him ejected for unsportsmanlike like conduct. While no card was issued from the official nor a verbal warning , Team B coach, cited his role as a site director for the tournament, contacted a field marshal who removed the coach from the field thus ending the game due to non availability of a coach.

In a subsequent game, the same coach, Team B, attempted to do the same procedure, on another offside call which went in his favor as the opposing coach, Team A protested the call in the same way. In this case, the field marshal did not respond, and the official continued play, issued no cards nor warning to the coach (team a).

As a former high school basketball official, I found this behavior by an opposing coach (team b) extremely inappropriate. I saw this as an attempt to gain advantage over a team. I also noted that after the game, when questioned by other coaches, he advised them it was within his authority as a site director to protect the officials from abuse. If the official does not issue a warning, card, or other action, how can a coach who is actively participating in the game apply discipline to another coach? He cited he was covered by appropriate rules?

Answer (October 16, 2007):
Under normal circumstances both the Team B coach and the field marshal were wrong. Such actions are not allowed by the Laws of the Game. However, as this was a tournament, there may be some validity to the field marshal’s action, depending on whether it is covered in the rules of the competition. Nevertheless, that does not excuse the coach of Team B for his irresponsible behavior in calling for the field marshal when the referee felt it was not worth dealing with.…

Question:
I was centering a U12Girls game when a loud unruly coach was given a warning midway into the first half. He quieted down till the end of the game. Afterward he came onto the field yelling and screaming. I told him I was going to take his card. He responded that I couldnt because it was after the game. (The kids were still on the field, and I hadnt budged from when the game ended) After back and forth arguing he went behind me while I spoke to the Assistant coach and got his cards from my linesman. I found this out and went to retrieve them, He refused to relinguish them to me. Our Disciplinary team said that since I didnt not show him a second yellow card that they cant discipline him. Is this so? Is there ever a time when a red card or someother form of disciplinary action can be imposed on a rogue coach after the fact?USSF answer (May 14, 2007):
The fact that the behavior occurred after the game is irrelevant. The referee retains full authority both to card (players, subs, etc.) and to order from the field (team officials) as long as the teams are still exiting and the referee is in the area of the field. All the rest of it is subject to local rule. If your league requires that you show cards to team officials–which is in contravention of the Laws of the Game, which limit cards to players, substitutes, and substituted players–then you must show a card.

Your only recourse would seem to be to submit a full report to both the competition (league, club, or whatever) and the state association, outlining precisely what happened.…

Question:
I was officiating a U-10 girls game. Team A performed the opening kickoff. Obviously, the team and their coach had discussed their strategy for taking the kick-off, but they failed on the execution and played the ball into touch. The coach, frustrated, yelled out, Jesus Christ!. It was loud enough for all players and fans to hear it. I gave him a verbal warning, but should I have done more? Is a religious profanity grounds for a send-off, or does it need to be a secular profanity? I assume I don’t need to provide examples.
USSF answer (May 14, 2007):
A player (or substitute or substituted player) who “uses offensive or insulting or abusive language and/or gestures” is sent off and shown the red card. A coach may not be sent off and shown any card, but may be expelled from the game for irresponsible behavior, which using offensive or insulting or abusive language and/or gestures certainly is. The definition of such language or gestures is in the opinion of the referee, remembering that the important factor is the impact of the language on those participating in the match.…