skip navigation

Coaches can now receive red card if parents abuse the refs

By Staff , 07/27/19, 12:45PM EDT

Share

Referee abuse has increased in recent years, which has contributed to a shortage in refs around Chattanooga and the rest of the country.

Not only can a parent be kicked out of a game for harassing a referee, but now the coach can be shown a red card and removed from the game. Imagine a situation where the most peaceful coach gets kicked out of a game because an unruly parent won't leave the refs alone.

That is just one rule change for the 2019-20. Here are the others:

Laws of the Game Update for 2019-2020 Seasonal Year (7/17/2019)

Law 3 – SUBSTITUTIONS. A player being substituted must leave the field nearest the closest boundary line UNLESS the referee allows the player to leave quickly/immediately at the halfway line.

Law 5 – TEAM OFFICIAL CAUTIONS. Referees now can show a yellow card (YC) or red card (RC) to a team official (coach, assistant coach, manager) guilty of misconduct. Coaches should be aware that per TSSA policy the coach/manage can and will be held responsible for parents guilty of misconduct.

PENALTY TAKER. If a team’s penalty taker is injured and has treatment, he/she can stay on the field to take the penalty kick.

Law 8 – DROPPED BALL. The dropped ball procedure is unsatisfactory as it leads to a‘manufactured’ restart which is ‘exploited’ unfairly, e.g. kicking the ball out for a throw- in deep in the opponents half. The new procedure is for the dropped ball to be ‘uncontested.’ The ball will be dropped for only one player and all other players MUST remain 4.5 yards away. Play will then continue ‘as normal’, i.e. the ball is not given backto the opponents. If play was stopped when the ball was in the penalty area, the ball will be dropped for the defending team goalkeeper. In all other cases, the ball will be dropped for one player of the team that last touched the ball at the place where it was last touched.

COIN TOSS. The team that wins the toss can choose to take the kick-off.

Law 12 – HANDLING THE BALL. The Laws relating to ‘fouls’ and ‘offside’ were improved by moving the focus from ‘intent’ (mental) to ‘outcome’ (physical) and a similar change has been applied to ‘non-deliberate’ handball situations. Therefore,while a ‘deliberate’ handball remains an offense, the Law now provides greater clarity asto whether an offence has occurred when the ball ‘accidentally ‘touches the hand/arm. A player will be penalized when the ball touches their hand/arm if:

· Their hand/arm is above shoulder height (except whendeliberately playing the ball) as a player is ‘taking a risk ‘ by having their hand /arm in that usually ‘unnatural’ position.

· The player’s body has been made unnaturally bigger, and hasthus unfairly created a larger barrier, by their hand/arm being away from their body.

· A goal is scored directly from their hand/arm (even if accidental)

· A player gains possession/control of the ball from their hand/arm (even if accidental) and then scores a goal or creates a goal scoring opportunity.

However, except in the situations outlined above, a player will not usually be penalized when the ball touches their hand/arm if:

· The ball came off the player’s own body, or the body ofanother player (of either team) who was close by, as it is almost impossible to avoid contact with the ball.

· A player falls down and their hand/arm is between their body and the ground for support.

YC/RC OFFENSE. If a YC/RC offense occurs but the non-offending team takes a quick free kick which creates a goal-scoring opportunity, the referee can delay showing the YC/RC until the next stoppage.

Law 13 and Law 16 – PENALTY AREA FREE KICKS. Free kicks to the defending team in their own penalty area and for goal kicks, the ball will be in play as soon as it is kicked and moves; the requirement that it MUST leave the penalty area before a player can touch it has been REMOVED. In 7v7 play this means that players MUST remain behind the build-out-line until the ball is played. As soon as the ball is played, the players may engage the ball in front of the build-out-line.

DEFENSIVE WALLS. If the defending team forms a ‘wall’ of three (3) or more players, attacking team players MUST be at least 1M (3 feet) away from the ‘wall’ –an indirect free kick is awarded if they encroach.

Law 14 – PENALTY KICK. The goalkeeper must be on (not in front or behind) the goal line at a penalty kick but only needs to have one foot on the goal line (or in line with it if in the air) when the kick is taken.

Trending Now