Dutch Referee Blog - Awful behaviour of players against referees has to stop

Agree with Poll and co, cautions need to be displayed.

I just hope it doesn't have a knock on effect at grassroots levels. We'll see in August I suppose. I think the main problem is the perceived directive from FIFA, that cannot be a good thing for the game, or for FIFA if there isn't such a directive.

Jan ter Harmsel said:

What do players think when they approach the referee while shouting, protesting and making crazy gestures? That question crossed my mind a couple of times the last few days. This awful behaviour of players against referees has to stop. These actions set the wrong example for the adults and kids you and I have to […]

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It's interesting to hear that Collina defended the behavior of the players in the briefing. I think it's been obvious to everyone over the past fortnight, how strongly I feel about this issue. Collina may have been a legendary referee, but why would he defend player's behavior?

This has been the worst part of this world cup in my opinion, and I agree that we referees will get an impact from it. Unless players are immediately carded when they surround the referee, then it will continue all game and every game.

We (in my region of France) have started using the sin bin for dissent offences, and how fantastic it has been after the first season. Me and my colleagues here agree that 10 minutes in the sin bin stops any further dissent. Plus, about a third of the way into the season, since the players and coaches realise they will play one short (sometimes two short), dissent has almost stopped. Just to add, that a second dissent offence in the same match resulted in a second sin bin, but it would become a red card, as for two yellow cards. All season we never got a second dissent offence in the same match! Perhaps a sin bin is the solution for all this that we have been seeing at the world cup, I am sure it would very quickly stop players surrounding the referee.

I also agree that FIFA must have instructed referees to be more lenient with 'yellow card' fouls. So many of these bad fouls have not see yellow cards, and again, it will impact on us next season.

I was a referee in England for 33 years, and for the last 12 years have been refereeing in south west France.

arbitre said:

We (in my region of France) have started using the sin bin for dissent offences, and how fantastic it has been after the first season. Me and my colleagues here agree that 10 minutes in the sin bin stops any further dissent. Plus, about a third of the way into the season, since the players and coaches realise they will play one short (sometimes two short), dissent has almost stopped.

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This is the first detailed information I've seen from a referee about the sin bin experiment. Very interesting, thank you.