The Ref Stop

Advantage red card

Gavin Chilton

New Member
Level 3 Referee
Had a question asked to me the other day, if a player was on a caution and commits another yellow card offence but there a good advantage for the other team.

Would you stop play and card the player and send him off or would you let play go then go back and card him?
 
The Ref Stop
As it's a yellow card offence, I'd play the advantage and then send him off.....on paper, at least
 
I suppose I'd play advantage. But I'd feel fairly uncomfortable leaving it. I'd rather get the red out of the way. So it would in my opinion have to be a super advantage. As what happens if that ball doesn't go out of play for the next five minutes you're going to cause a massive issue. Or what if you play the advantage and the player you need to give the yellow goes down the other end and score. Is it goal then yellow and red? Unlikely I know!
 
I'd be looking to stop the game unless there was a very clear scoring opportunity (eg. Player about to tap the ball into the net).

Not worth the risk in most situations. Stop the game and get him off the pitch.
 
At Matthew says has to be the most beyond obvious goal scoring opportunity for you not to stop play.
 
I would absolutely play the advantage. Then I'd come back and caution him. A second caution is no different from the first, except that the player has used up all his chances.
 
I'll give one of my many reasons for not playing advantage.

You play advantage and the chance is missed but ball still in play. Team break up the other end and the player who you are going to dismiss then puts the ball in the opposition's net. This game was in the balance at 1-1 with 7 minutes remaining. All of a sudden, with 5 minutes to play, it's 2-1! The player scores and you then dismiss him. His team win 2-1. HIS team have gained the advantage of him being on FOP, not the fouled team.

I assure you, no team will ever complain about 'losing' an advantage if you immediately dismiss a player of the opposite team
 
I'm with Dan on this one. If somebody is walking, I am stopping the game straight away. Make the situation as 'clean' as possible.
 
Just to add, sorry. I would sincerely hope that assessor's wouldn't be docking marks for advantage for doing this?
@Brian Hamilton - at any level (up to & including 4), would you?
Unless it was the "tap in" no deduction would be applied. The assessor would look for advantage where (a) there was an attacking potential and (b) it did not affect match control and application of law...

In this instance, greater emphasis woudl be awarded for MC & AL rather than a missed advantage. In fact, there could be an uplift for MC in doing the right thing.
 
Dan is spot on. The player needs to be removed from the game immediately that he warrants a sending off as to not lead to the above scenarios
 
I'll give one of my many reasons for not playing advantage.

You play advantage and the chance is missed but ball still in play. Team break up the other end and the player who you are going to dismiss then puts the ball in the opposition's net. This game was in the balance at 1-1 with 7 minutes remaining. All of a sudden, with 5 minutes to play, it's 2-1! The player scores and you then dismiss him. His team win 2-1. HIS team have gained the advantage of him being on FOP, not the fouled team.

I assure you, no team will ever complain about 'losing' an advantage if you immediately dismiss a player of the opposite team

Surely you don't have to let the team break up the other end as you don't have to wait for the ball to go out of play before you stop the game to issue the caution / sending off. law 5 ' the referee stops the match, at his discretion, for any infringements of the law'

on the issue in general, interpretation of law 5 on advantage seems pretty clear on this - 'the referee may play advantage whenever an infringement or offence occurs. the referee should consider the following.... the severity of the offence: if the infringement warrants an expulsion, the referee must stop play and send off the player unless there is a subsequent opportunity to score a goal' (nothing about tap-ins there)

it goes on to say that 'if the offence warrants a caution, it must be issued at the next stoppage.'

bit of a grey area, perhaps, in that law 5 also says that the referee 'takes disciplinary action against players guilty of cautionable and sending-off offences. He is not obliged to take this action immediately but must do so when the ball next goes out of play'. however surely the 'must' is in there simply because, if the ref doesn't do it then, they can't do it retrospectively after play has restarted. at least that's how i read it

Just don't forget to blow your whistle at an appropriate moment :)
 
So Haywain, you're saying let the team have the advantage but if they miss (and ball remains in play), immediately stop the game for the RC (2nd Y)? Personally, and I always talk from the POV of L4 refereeing, I feel that MC would be massively lost!
 
I've only ever once played advantage when the player was going to receive a 2nd caution.......and that was because i didn't immediately spot it was a player i had already cautioned earlier in the game.

Generally speaking i would never play advantage if the offending was going to be dismissed, either straight red or 2nd caution (or 3rd if you're Graham Poll!)
 
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