Question:
Sometimes I referee a game in which a coach continuously shouts very specific instructions to one or several players for the entire game – essentially telling them every move they should make. Is there any restriction on this?
USSF answer (May 8, 2008):
As long as the coach or other team official does not behave irresponsibly by shouting abusively at the players or attempting to influence the opposing players through shouting false information, there is little restriction on that person’s activities. However, in that regard, we cannot forget the importance of the competitive level of the players as a factor in deciding what is permissible. After all, although there is no formal definition of “tactical instructions,” we have commonly recognized that this would not include choreographing every move, particularly for any match above mid-level youth.
