Question:
This might be a dumb question, but when a goalie is yellow-carded (in certain leagues and tournaments, yellow carded players have to go off), the goalie his or herself has to go off? Goalies have no special treatment, correct?
2nd question:
In CIF, if a player is “soft red-carded” it means the player is sent off for having two yellow cards, but the team can sub in another player. Is this the same in USSF, etc? Or a second yellow is just like a straight red and the players can’t sub in another person?
USSF answer (May 14, 2009):
We fervently hope that the practice of temporary expulsion, removing a player from the game for a period of time after he or she has been cautioned, Is not being used in any competition (league, tournament, cup) affiliated with the U. S. Soccer Federation. It has never been authorized by the International F. A. Board (the people who write the Laws of the Game) or FIFA (the people who administer the game for the world).
In fact, the competitions to which you refer would be operating in contravention of a FIFA directive forbidding such “temporary expulsion.” This could also put the competitions in contravention of the stated policies of the U. S. Soccer Federation. As we mention often, if the referee accepts an assignment in a competition that uses rules that contravene the Laws of the Game, he or she must follow those rules; however, we recommend against taking such assignments.
As this would appear to be high school soccer, we will not include full details on the IFAB and FIFA declarations on the use of temporary expulsion, repeated and reinforced by USSF publications.
As to the “soft red card,” that, too, is not permitted under competitions affiliated with the U. S. Soccer Federation (and thus with FIFA). Therefore, no, the substitution practice which is used in the CIF (California high school competition) is not permitted in competitions which run in accordance with the Laws of the Game.
