http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36844570 Plans designed to reduce "intolerable behaviour" by players and managers in English football have been announced. In a statement, the Premier League, English Football League and Football Association said poor conduct has reached "unacceptable levels". Starting this season, red cards will be issued to players who confront match officials and use offensive language or make gestures towards them. Behaviour within the technical areas will also be more rigorously enforced. Not one player has been sent off in the Premier League for insulting or abusive language towards a match official in the last five seasons. But Premier League chairman Richard Scudamore said there has been concern "for some time" that players have been "overstepping the mark". "It is our collective position that these types of behaviour should no longer be tolerated," he added. "Things happen in the heat of the moment during fast and highly competitive football. We still want to see the passion fans enjoy and demand, but players and managers have to be aware there are lines that should not be crossed." Offences which could earn players a yellow card Visibly disrespectful behaviour to any match official; An aggressive response to decisions; Confronting an official face to face; Running towards an official to contest a decision; Offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures towards match officials; Physical contact with any match official in a non-aggressive manner; A yellow card for at least one player when two or more from a team surround a match official. New red card offences If a player confronts match officials and uses offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures towards them; Physical contact with match officials in an aggressive or confrontational manner.
I can see a large number of cards for the first few weeks, but that should tail off when players and clubs realise how many points they are dropping. And it's bad news for Chelsea if you get a card for approaching the referee mob-handed, which clearly makes it good news!
I have been going on for years about this because I really hate it. Every team does it. Nine rules can be cut down into 1. Only the captain is allowed to approach an official in a controlled manor to ask a question about a decision. Oh they have been doing this in Rugby for years.
Nothing much that's new here. This seems to be a warning that enforcement will be strict from now on. Good thing.
How are these new sending off offences? The laws have always stated that they are . What is different is that items that were theoretically sending offs are now mentioned as cautionable! In partucular - Offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures towards match officials. This applied by the laws to being used in general, not just to officials.
Apparently they've applied the rules retrospectively and Gary Neville's career has just been sucked into a black hole.
Still nothing about spit-roasting girls after a drunken evening in a nightclub. How are these young men supposed to know how to carry themselves without proper rules and boundaries set?
I think one huge factor is young men who often are not very well educated but have a gift at being a good football player suddenly being rich beyond their wildest dreams. Being young +dumb (not in all cases mind) and on anything £40k+ per week can distort your view of normality/reality and make anyone think they are special or basically a d!ckhead. We have all seen this happen at QPR and very often even at big premier clubs. As often said before and sadly very often the case most player don't care that much about the club paying their wages, no, it's all about me me me. Good luck for any team trying to enforce these rules but sadly I can't see it changing anything as the game is just to commercialized now I'm afraid...
It'll probably be the little clubs whose players get the red cards whilst the usual suspects will just get yellows...
It's a start, all they've got to do now is sort out the all in wrestling that takes place at every free kick, corner etc and the game will improve......
Totally agree, I hate all this grappling at set pieces. If it were me and Kelly Brook in the six yard box that would be a different story!
It's a good step. Whether they're new rules/punishments or not, they're making a statement by saying it's got to stop. I'm sure there'll be the odd match that ends up 10 vs 9 etc, but players will have to learn a bit of self discipline and to conduct themselves like big boys. Maybe it'll have a positive effect on the national side too, more of a get on with it regardless, less feeling hard done by attitude.
This. Whilst there has always been some pushing and barging for years, it has degenerated into obvious fouling which officials usually ignore. A few penalties and yellow cards would easily curtail this poor behaviour.
