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I gotta say I saw something at these Regionals I'd never seen before. Player on the Girls U17 Sting Dallas Royal 91 team representing North Texas had the words "BAD A**" written in what looked like a tattoo at the base of the back of her neck. She got into a "verbal discussion" with the referee at one point during a game and flipped her pony tail up so the referee could clearly read the words. I was amazed. Not sure how I'd have handled it if I was the referee. There's no law of the game dealing with tattoos but the thought crossed my mind that action was tantamount to lifting a jersey to display writing on a t-shirt underneath the uniform, only difference being this appeared to be permanently engrained on her neck! Certainly brazen on this kid's part - no doubt made her parents especially proud. I've never seen anything like it...


Law 12 (Fouls & Misconduct) lists the cautionable offenses which include "unsporting behaviour" and "dissent by word or action". I'd have to know the nature of the "duscussion" and see the action to say for sure, but it sounds like she should have been shown the yellow card if she was deliberately lifting the hair to display the tatoo to the referee.

If the referee interprets it to be an "offensive or insulting or abusive gesture", then it should be a red card. But it seems that would be a stretch in the situation you described.