Question:
Does persistent infringement of the law applies to all of laws or just 12 and 14? I know it does not apply to Law 11.
USSF answer (August 18, 2009):
A complete explanation of persistent infringement appears in the USSF publication “Advice to Referees on the Laws of the Game”:
12.28.3 PERSISTENT INFRINGEMENT
Persistent infringement occurs when a player repeatedly commits fouls or certain other infringements. It is not necessary for the multiple fouls to be of the same type or all to be direct free kick fouls, but infringements must be among those covered in Law 12 or involve repeated violations of Law 14. In most cases, the referee should warn the player that the pattern has been observed and, upon a subsequent violation, must then issue the caution. If the pattern is quickly and blatantly established, then the warning should be omitted and the referee should take immediate action. In determining whether there is persistent infringement, all fouls are considered, including those to which advantage has been applied.The referee must also recognize when a single opponent has become the target of fouls by multiple players. As above, upon recognizing the pattern, the referee should clearly indicate that the pattern has been observed and that further fouls against this opponent must cease. If another player commits a foul against the targeted opponent, that player must be cautioned but, in this case, the misconduct should be reported as unsporting behavior, as must any subsequent caution of any further foul against that same targeted opponent. Eventually, the team will get the message.
Examples of persistent infringement include a player who:
* Violates Law 14 again, having previously been warned
* If playing as a goalkeeper, wastes time, having previously been warned or penalized for this behavior
