Romania's new black card ends youth soccer games when parents turn abusive
Romania soccer introduces black card to 'combat abusive behaviour' from parents
The Romanian Football Federation is the first federation to hand referees a black card for youth matches, letting them permanently abandon a game if parents or spectators keep up abusive behavior. Referees first pause play and ask coaches to calm the stands, then suspend the match for 10 minutes, and finally call it off for good. A kit with banners, conduct posters, and flyers goes to all 130 Romanian academies.
If abusive behaviour persists after play resumes, the referee blows the final whistle. The match is permanently abandoned and cannot be resumed.
- layer8
Actual source article: https://www.frf.ro/en/frf-introduces-the-black-card-to-comba...
- hakunin
I wonder how would this work in terms of fairness to the team that's likely to win. If a match is abandoned, what does it mean for progressing in a tournament, etc. Could there be a perverse incentive to cause a black card to abort a lost game? I'm sure this has all been thought through, but the article doesn't seem to say anything about it.
- layer8
- ChrisMarshallNY
We could use one for US Little League.
Ever watched the parents at those games?
- applfanboysbgon
> The black card being brandished will be the final part of a three-step process. In the first instance, the referee will temporarily suspend the match and ask coaches to speak directly to its team’s supporters and parents, while an announcement will also be communicated to supporters should a public address system be available.
> Should the behaviour continue, the referee will suspend the match for 10 minutes and send the teams off the pitch to their dressing room while once again asking coaches to attempt to de-escalate the behaviour of those in the stands.
> The FRF then detail the process behind using the black card as the final step: “If abusive behaviour persists after play resumes, the referee blows the final whistle. The match is permanently abandoned and cannot be resumed.”
Why is the remedy not simply ejecting the offenders? They get three chances to cancel the game, with the entirety of the punishments being towards people who did nothing wrong?