Question:
What should the penalty be for a player and or their team for striking the referee after a game was over? A review of incident shows several players chasing the referee and one of them hits the offical with a jersey.
USSF answer (September 4, 2008):
The punishment for this serious misconduct would be up to the competition authority. If the referee was still on the field, he or she could show the red card for violent conduct, but that doesn’t sound like a viable action in this situation. The best thing would be for the referee to include full details — as many as he or she could remember — in the match report. And if there is a video, the referee should also send a COPY of the video along with the report.
In addition, the referee should pursue remedies through his/her state or regional referee associations. If the referee was actually struck, there are civil and criminal remedies available.
