Verbal Abuse Against Referees Now Attracts Red Card In EPL- Richard Scudamore

Premier League players and managers as from the 2016/17 season will be red-carded for any form of verbal abuse towards match officials during a game.

Richard Scudamore, who is the current Premier League Executive Chairman revealed this decision after several meetings between the league organizing body and the club executives ahead of the coming season.

The English football authorities said it was time to put a stop to players’ and managers’ intolerable behavious on the pitch, which has persisted over the past four seasons, saying it has now become unacceptable.

Therefore the Premier League, EFL and The FA have announced a collective undertaking to improve behaviour across the game, and this will make the Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO) take a stronger position and action towards unacceptable participant conduct.

He further explained that this decision was to ensure that players respect match officials, reduce the rate at which players aggressively challeng decisions, while they also exhibit good behaviours on the field of play.

The following are the areas in which the PGMO will apply the Laws rigorously

• Dissent towards match officials
• Yellow cards will be issued to players who:
• Show visibly disrespectful behaviour to any match official
• Respond aggressively to decisions
• Confront an official face to face
• Run towards an official to contest a decision
• Offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures towards match officials

Red cards will be issued to players who confront match officials and use offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures towards them, while yellow card will be issued to a player with physical contact against match officials’in a non-aggressive manner (e.g. an inquisitive approach to grab the official’s attention).

 A red card for physical contact with match officials in an aggressive or confrontational manner.

Surrounding match officials

A yellow card for at least one player when two or more from a team surround a match official.

The FA will continue to sanction teams when they surround match officials.

The requirements of the Technical Area Code of Conduct will be more rigorously enforced for players and club staff.

Additionally, match officials will be required to retain professional detachment from players and club staff at all times.

"We and our clubs have been discussing for some time concerns that certain elements of player behaviour are overstepping the mark and it is our collective position that these types of behaviour should no longer be tolerated,” Richard Scudamore, Executive Chairman, the Premier League said.

"Things happen in the heat of the moment during fast and highly competitive football; we still want to see the passion fans enjoy and demand, but players and managers have to be aware there are lines that should not be crossed.”