Swearing in soccer games
 

Is it actually against the FA rules for a player to swear during a soccer match - the F and C words for example?

Or is it just up to the ref' to use his discretion? dl

It is a card offense to swear or use abusive language towards a ref or linesman. They thankfully use there discretion, as if they didn't after 15 minutes there'd be no players left on the pitch.

It's a mans game, if you don't like being called a w*nker, and to f*ck off, don't become a ref in the first place.

Tell that to Little Miss WRX...

I often swear in a game but at myself or a team mate. at the crap level I play at you will get a straight red for anything directed at the ref. As it happens the higher the standard of the game the more abuse the ref seems to accept. If they started dishing out card for swearing at officials the players would soon stop it.

OK thanks. Behind my back fence is a rec' ground used by local soccer club. The touchline is literally 10 yards from my garden. So I get used to the shouting - fine - but some of the language is getting a bit OTT especially for my elderly neighbours. Last week it was mostly the goalkeeper effing at full volume at his team (not the officilals), and I mean full volume.

I actually complained to the ref after the game but he just shrugged. Hence my question. dl

i think they should get booked for it and spitting,

i watch a lot of football and have never seen a game yet where the refs changed his mind after a player giving him a mouthfull

I'm captain in the team I play for and the ref will sometimes tell me he wont accept swearing from players for any reason. they will ask me to speak to the team before the game or sometimes during it if people are swearing. It's a fine line though because often it goes hand in hand with the passion and aggression needed so the ref will let a certain amount go.

It may well influence subsequent decisions though

Entirely depends on the ref. Most will book you for direct abuse. However, many will let things like "oh for ****s sake" go. There is the odd ref out there that wont have it at all, but you soon learn which ones will let you get away with what.

Who's in charge of the rec ground? Parish council?

Otherwise, just get someone to train their dog to take a dump in the goalmouth regularly :)

Call the Police. It's a "Public order" offense, ISTR....

...or talk to the people running the rec field. Try to get them to erect signs and the like...

I agree it's a question of balance and I am all for the lads letting off a bit of steam and the odd "for f,uck's sake etc" comment at low/medium volume. Yes it is the Parish Council and Brendan there is quite a lot of "that" around. In addition Mrs Mole and Family have taken up residence under the pitch :)

I might drop a line to the soccer club as I think it's up to them to have a quiet word with the refs. Or just put up with it :) d

Ok, direct from the FIFA LOTG....

A player is sent off and shown the red card if he commits any of the following seven offences:

6. uses offensive or insulting or abusive language and/or gestures


Now, this does vary in interpretation from referee to referee.

In essence I use discretion - if a player swears at himself, I can let it go and just give the player a friendly warning to keep the language down.

In the case of the goalkeeper David, that is unacceptable - I would have given the keeper a clear and verbal warning on the first occasion, further occasions would have resulted in me sending the player from the field of play.

I have had that happen to me with a defender who was swearing at his team mates - first time was pretty obscure and I told him to keep quiet as our RA had issued zero tolerance.
Second time I yelled it at him so his team mates, opposition and coaches etc were aware I wasn't going to tolerate it and I clearly said next incident would result in him being sent off.
Third time he accused one of his players of being a stupid motherf***ing c*** - I sent him off - he finally left the pitch after trying to argue with me that he didn't know what I was sending him off for.
Only threatening to abandon the game finally saw him leave the pitch, hauled off by three of his team mates. :rolleyes:

So, in essence, no, foul and abusive language should not be tolerated and IS a send off offence.

There is more to this in terms of common sense approaches to stamping it out but that's for refereeing tragic's like me to chat about with fellow referees. ;)

Trouble is, a lot of grass roots football doesn't have official referees and low grade games if they do get a referee at all tend to get inexperienced or referees who are doing low grade for a reason.

Just on the note of the ref David, would be good to find out who he is and report him to the referee's association of that district - they should do something. The football clubs won't do anything or at least in my experience they tend not to.
If it is the same as when I was refereeing in the UK, membership to an FA for a referee is mandatory so also go to the local Football Association to complain.

Good luck! It's one thing I hate in football, the others being racism and cheating.

what is this "soccer" you speak of?


last time i checked - scoobynet wasnt some bum-lord yankie site :Whatever_



we play Association FOOTBALL here :nono:

Of course the word soccer was derived from Association Football and we were the first ones to use it no matter how much we do hate it being referred to as that. ;)

The rest of the send off offences are here and where someone said above a player should be booked (term used wrongly for cautioning a player) for spitting as per below, the player should actually be sent off....

Sending-Off Offences

A player is sent off and shown the red card if he commits any of the following seven offences:

1. is guilty of serious foul play

2. is guilty of violent conduct

3. spits at an opponent or any other person

4. denies the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal-scoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball (this does not apply to a goalkeeper within his own penalty area)

5. denies an obvious goal-scoring opportunity to an opponent moving towards the player’s goal by
an offence punishable by a free kick or a penalty kick

6. uses offensive or insulting or abusive language and/or gestures

7. receives a second caution in the same match

Monkeysan - so sorry. Us rugger chaps tend to mix up the names for these lower class games :D

Little Miss, thanks so much for your helpful and informative reply. So it's not just swearing at the officials then.

In the game in question I first spoke to a linesman and started by saying hello and did he know the rules of the game. He looked at me oddly (but I have that effect on people :)) and I said I was fed up with the language and would he do something about it like having a word in the ref's shell-like. The linesman said it was nothing to do with him!! I'll probably let it rest this time but I now know what to do if it happens again - which it will :rolleyes: Thanks for input and I hope you are feeling brighter. d

ASBO :)

Mole Family given ASBO :D

:lol:

i'm a union chap myself, unfortunately my mates would prefer to watch the overpaid primadonnas down the pub :rolleyes:

I like the way you got the linesman onside David. ;)

I think I'd give you a funny look too for that type of comment...... :lol1:

It is the responsibility of the linesman also, they can call the referee across and suggest to the referee that the player be dealt with.
Quite often I have acted on the word of my assistants and referees have acted on my word when I was assisting them so the linesman you spoke to just didn't want to get involved.

As I said before, typical of low grade officials.....I see it all too often. :(

It doesn't matter what grade game I do, be it low grade grass roots, over 35's or the Women's State Premier League.
I apply the LOTG (low grade games you can cut some slack and use more common sense than anything else) and treat the players with respect - they are all paying to play and want to have a good game, they want a referee to be fair, enjoy it too and uphold the LOTG.

Swearing on a football pitch has been around for ever and no doubt it always will be. The same as it's been on the terraces.

Sorry to say that your post strikes slightly like someone who has moved close to a race circuit then complains about the noise ;)

A complaint to the local council will probably see the pitch redeveloped and turned into 3000 new flats ;)

I can understand the odd power happy letter of the book sunday league and cub scout refs warning goalkeepers for swearing at their own players, but from the levels I watch which only cover North West Counties up to Premier League, this never happens (although the "c" word has tipped the balance once or twice. :nono:
I have been involved in lower / non league football for 20 years and it's right - any ref worth their salt will only seek to use that "number 6" when the words are aimed at him, his assistants or people not on the pitch(fans, stewards, press etc). Even in the heat of the moment, a ref can take a few "f" words aimed at him because he understands the players, the passion and the fact many players are a bit simple :)
In the eyes of the prim, proper and prudish this may be unnaceptable, but it's the common sense directive.
To stop this, you should approach the local league and ask them to clamp down on "number 6". Write in the first instance, or make a formal appearance at the next AGM or commitee meeting.
Language standards have dropped in recent decades and back in the day the old couple bought a house backing onto a rec, they weren't buying a house backing onto a social problem and shouldnt have to expect anti social behaviour. It is good that someone is sticking up for them. :thumb:

In a perfect world, football refs would command the same respect as Rugby League refs and there would be no decent etc...

Disgruntled of Tunbridge Wells eh?? :D

Let's not go OTT on this :) My original post merely asked if was against the rules.....

FWIW I have been watching soccer, rugby, hockey and numerous other games for around 30 years. Oh and I lived in V10 roar of Kyalami race track for a time.

BUT there is a standard and, in my book, constantly screaming the F word at your own team, especially on a public recreation ground, is not on!

Ironically I have found touchline parents watching their kids playing junior rugby to be the most abusive towards the referee. dl

Absolutely mate, I used to go along at the request of a friend to "mind" him when he refd cub scout matches on a school field! :freak3:

Oik ball is ill disciplined and crass. Rugby refs are treated with respect and courtesy.

To call football a mans game is a bit rich, "oh my god my leg fell off because of a glancing blow from a gnat" one minute later he's prancing round like a fecking ballerina again.

Rugby cultured and organised violence played by MEN!

In Hockey and Rugby, if you give officials grief they can (as well as or instead of carding the player) move the free hit/kick up 10 yards and continue doing so until player shuts his gob. Soon gets the captain getting his players in order as the ball keeps getting moved up the pitch (and then a free kick/penalty near the goal).

This is down the FA/Referees ultimately. Players soon shut their gobs if they know they are more likely than not to get a card. They do it coz they can get away with it. If a bad decision has been made, the CAPTAIN may go see the ref and state his case, not have 10 players surround the ref shouting him down.

At the pro level, TV repeat (like in rugby 4th official etc.) should be brought in, this is 21st century FFS.

Again, I think the FA etc. have a LOT to answer for. They are in charge of the game and don't really do anything to resolve these issues.

There is an interesting twist to this...... The local team 1st side have moved up a notch (into the official league?) but if they want to continue the FA insist that they have floodlights. FA rules say that every game in the league must start at 3.00 and so lights will be needed in the winter.

Now I think they get a grant for the lights but need the local council who own the pitch (next to the one I have been talking about) to approve construction of lights. The Council have asked the FA why can't games simply start a bit earlier to avoid the need for lights and do the FA realise that they are not exactly helping the environment by insisting on about a dozen 50 ft high floodlights :) I can't see that they will get a helpful reply.

Since the local club already owe the council about three grand then I don't think the club are going to win this one. dl

Well said. I think it is quite unnecessary to come out with strings of bad or obscene language in public. It can be most offensive to some people and they should not have to put up with it. Its one thing to call yourself something under your breath but to shout it out for all to hear is quite rightly forbidden by the rules.

Les

Once got sent off for 'foul & abusive' language at the ref. When the report came through the ref had noted nearly four lines of swear words with hardly any non-swear words inbetween. Accepted the punishment - 56 day ban & £45 fine. Ouch!!