Quote:

Does anyone remember my "language" comment on an earlier post? This weekend, we had a kid from a AAAA school elbow our goalie twice in the face while they were awaiting a corner kick, and after that SPIT in our defender's face and GUESS WHAT - the ref standing five feet away walked in and warned OUR GOALIE! The ref 50 yards away sprinted in and yellow carded the G kid (thank you), and tournament director Jonathan apologized after the tournament and said that he saw the whole thing and that it was awful.

We have three torn jerseys from kids grabbing our kids and slinging them down. One of the dirtiest teams we have ever played.

Could have fixed the whole thing if we had hit the last two PK's after going up 1-0 in PK's.

That's girls' soccer if the refs let it get out of hand, and we all know that happens. But you know, when a kid spits in a kids face, she should be banned from high school soccer forever.



I've been following the posts for a month or so concerning profanity on the fields, and now spitting at an opponent enters the discussions. It seems that the general concensus of parents and coaches alike is everyone would like the game cleaned up.

Here's the part I don't understand. If the coaches want to rid the game of the proliferation of profanity and other forms of unsportsmanlike conduct being reported here, just do it. Get the Coaches Association in agreement (sounds like the coaches posting here already agree) and approach the Referees Association and request to have the laws of the game regarding such conduct that are already in place enforced uniformly around the state.

I have to admit I'm not familiar with all of the local high school rules that may override FIFA's "Laws of the Game", so full enforcement of FIFA's rules on our high schools' fields may not be possible.

There are 7 deadly "sins" that require (FIFA, possibly not SCHS) sending a player off... straight red, no yellow. Two of those 7 deadly "sins" are (per 2009-2010 FIFA "Laws of the Game")...

Sending-off Offences
A player, substitute or substituted player is sent off if he commits any of the following seven [including two here] offences:
• spitting at an opponent or any other person
• using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures

Banning a player for life for spitting on an opponent might be a little over the top, but showing a red card is already on the books. A yellow card for spitting is not on the books. Now, the hard part... 5 minutes left to go in the state final, it's 0-0 and your player spits on an opponent. How committed will the coach be to cleaning up the game in that situation? Or, do we allow the official some amount of judgement? That is why I suggest the Coaches Association come to an agreement before approaching the Referees Association.

One of the aspects of this game that I always liked more than any other sport is the consequence of being shown a red card. We hear plenty from our kids about "Mom, Dad, you don't understand the peer pressure...". Good, the kids understand peer pressure, and we all know there is plenty of negative peer pressure out there to go around.

However, there was a time when you could see a player about to erupt, and you would see a teammate grab him/her by the jersey and pull the player away before the eruption could occur that surely would result in a red card. Forget what we as parents and coaches think about cleaning up the game, the players themselves will begin cleaning up the game if by not doing so they keep losing game after game due to playing down numbers, because Sally or Johnny can't keep a civil tongue or spit in his/her mouth. Finally, we have incentive for positive peer pressure. Of course, it could hurt for a while and drive a few coaches bonkers waiting for habits to be broken.

Consider this. When Dennis Rodman would headbutt refs and get thrown out of games and suspended, the media would ask Michael Jordan his thoughts. Jordan would say how great Rodman was, the team misses him, and hopes Rodman can work it out with Management and return to the floor. If after one of those headbutts Rodman had been ejected and the Bulls were not allowed to replace him on the floor, how long do you think it would take for Jordan to get in Rodman's face and say, "FORGET MANAGEMENT. I'M TIRED OF PLAYING 4v5 AND LOSING CHAMPIONSHIPS, CLEAN IT UP OR GET OUT!"? (Instead, what we got without a red card rule in basketball is a cult hero with bad hair in celebrity rehab.)

Actually enforcing the existing rules may sound a little harsh (probably cost teams a few games), but it seems many players today almost view being shown a yellow as a badge of courage ("Sally really told her off, AND she got a yellow card." "Cool, you go Sally!"). If the coaches feel conduct on the field should be held to a higher standard... then, just do it. The rules are already in place to support the effort. All we're missing right now is the commitment.

Oh, don't forget to check out the 5 other deadly "sins", then come back and re-read the posts in this thread.