Question Number: 36041

Law 5 - The Referee 9/29/2025

RE: Competitive Adult

peter babbage of Hjørring, North Denmark Region Denmark asks...

In a recent game a player remarked (not shouted out) that I should put a yellow shirt on clearly insinuating I was favouring the yellow team. That could be translated into that I was cheating. Wondering where the line is drawn between insulting and abusive. I considered and gave a yellow card. Could the remark possibly have warranted a red card. I guess maybe it depends if it was loud enough to be ‘public’ and therefore undermining. It could maybe also depend on individual referees tolerance levels. When I first started referring I recall an experienced referee saying players can call me or sorts of things, idiot, incompetent even the unrepeatable as I might be any of those things but never call me a cheat.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi Peter
Thanks for the question
My take on it is that it is certainly a caution for dissent. It’s a kind of like a player saying that no decisions were made in their favour such as * Ref you have given us nothing*.* Ref your having a laugh*

Now a referee could opine that it is offensive, insulting and abusive which is a dismissal offence. Referees though are expected to tolerate a certain degree of language provided that it keeps within the bounds of decency, and does no overstep the bounds set by the referee .
However, this attitude does not satisfy the purists, whose aim is to rid the game completely of all forms of verbals, or at least, to understandably rein it back to a more acceptable level. Whilst these sentiments are laudable, the attraction of football has an element of feistiness' that makes it such an exciting sport. To tolerate something, is to approve it. Therefore, it is only when the conduct offends the referee, that referees needs exercise their toleration levels, by taking some form of disciplinary action.

As a referee I would be accepting zero tolerance levels with this player and I would be putting the player on notice that any further outburst would be treated sternly. The player would certainly not be getting the benefit of doubt going forward in the game.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Hi Peter,
I always advise the players to think of the referee as a playing condition, much like the pitch surface or the weather, you need to be smart and adapt to what is being presented, any competent referee understands the emotional distress players go through if things don't go their way, so, while we can choose to tolerate a certain amount dissent and griping, no referee should be disrespected or suffer from being abused by those with divergent opinions on a soccer pitch.

It doesn't seem to matter whether you're at grassroots or even professional level, public perception, player perception, parent perception, coach perception, manger perception, pundit perception, unfortunately even other referees' perceptions, will paint their mindset that you are biased against one team or the other.

How hard a line you should take is the bar that you're setting!
You set it too low you're in trouble, you set it too high, you can also be in trouble.
All that effort that we put into understanding the laws of the game, trying to stay with play, get good looks and viewing angles to be positionaly on top of our game, so that we make good decisions then you get a player who will question your efforts?

Insinuating you're not really neutral?
The rumblings of dissent could tell us something of the match we might be missing.
It could be you've awarded 2 penalties against, maybe that there's a couple of cards already issued only to one team? Maybe there's a player hobbling around on an injured ankle from a tackle you missed?

Is a low key verbal barb, insinuating that you're the 13th player worthy of a red card followed by a sending off having the team played a man short?
No!
Not unless this dude has history and has been on your radar with garbage talk on a continual basis.
Must it be a yellow card caution?
Possibly but in my opinion at least, it's not a certainty!
Must it be dealt with? 100 percent yes. Communicate verbally at minimum
Your priority is match control. A well-timed verbal warning can defuse low-level dissent without halting play. So is this actually low level dissent versus a manditory need to show a card?

I believe you need to lock eyes, use strong body language. . You/me we get this settled now or you're you're likely to be booked and or sent off if this continues. Why you're cutting him or her a break might be it did not fall into PPP (public, persistent, though it was definitely personal) to voice an opinion that you're not going to like. Your integrity means something, while you're not perfect on the pitch, you need to be sure you're not ridiculed mercilessly.

I don't know what or if you said in your pregame? No back talk at all? I'm pretty hard on people that do not respect the distance and tend to delay restarts so I make that well known at the very beginning of the match. My pregame talk if I do give one is something along the lines " I'm fair, not perfect. If I make a mistake. you live with it. You have issues, you might talk to me quietly at a proper time/place! I "might" give you some feedback, but if not, I wave you away, don't get to in my face, it is liable to cost you. Restarts? I suggest you move away quickly I don't have a lot of patience, you want to test it, again, it is liable to cost you

It is reasonable and well within the laws of the game and spirit of FAIR PLAY that a quick yellow card put into somebody's face on something that they say impugning your integrity, not acceptable within your tolerance frame, sends a very clear message, keep your pie hole closed.

I'm pretty good communicator and don't have a problem talking to people but if you've made you brag you better stick to it. Always good to leave your options open. Don't force yourself down avenues or into holes from which there is no escape.

Players appreciate consistency, effort and fairness, however, if any of those first 2 characteristics are missing they won't accept the 3rd one very easily. As my colleague Ref McHugh indicated once a player is on your radar the benefit of a doubt gets pretty cloudy.

These critical incident occasions where you have to react, even if you try hard be proactive you can't be scared to do what's Right for the game but make sure you leave your ego out of it and just make sure it is for the match itself and the safety and the benefit of yourself and the players.
Cheers