A&H

Cards during a friendly

ABRef

ABRef

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Please move if this is in the wrong section.

Please give your honest answer, do you submit cards for a friendly? I have always done this but I’m now questioning whether I should or not.
I recently reffed with a sending off and few booking, coaches and team seem very confused and let down that I said I would submit the bookings. In my opinion the game I did was not ‘friendly’. The cards seem like no deterrent if there’s no punishment for getting them, but at the same time it’s a friendly.
What is everyone’s else views? NB the game I did was youth.
 
The Referee Store
100% definitely. You may or may not choose to modify your threshold for cards in a friendly (that's a subject of much ongoing debate on here), but assuming it's a CFA approved match, once you show a card you're obligated to then go on to submit them as you would in any other match.
 
Robert said:
Please move if this is in the wrong section.

Please give your honest answer, do you submit cards for a friendly? I have always done this but I’m now questioning whether I should or not.
I recently reffed with a sending off and few booking, coaches and team seem very confused and let down that I said I would submit the bookings. In my opinion the game I did was not ‘friendly’. The cards seem like no deterrent if there’s no punishment for getting them, but at the same time it’s a friendly.
What is everyone’s else views? NB the game I did was youth.
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Nobody on here will tell you they don't submit cards for friendlies
Not doing so represents misconduct on your behalf and you'd be held to account with a significant suspension from all football activity if it was brought to the attn. of the CFA. And the CFA finding out, is not as unlikely as it sounds
 
Yes. What's the point in showing cards that are unreported.
Where do you draw the line? If you send a player off, are you really not going to report it?
Not least you run the risk of having disciplinary action taken against you if you don't.
 
JamesL said:
Yes. What's the point in showing cards that are unreported.
Where do you draw the line? If you send a player off, are you really not going to report it?
Not least you run the risk of having disciplinary action taken against you if you don't.
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Thanks, I 100% agree. I have just felt very pressured recently into not submitting friendlys, so I just wanted to get an idea of how everyone else handles it.
 
Robert said:
Thanks, I 100% agree. I have just felt very pressured recently into not submitting friendlys, so I just wanted to get an idea of how everyone else handles it.
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I have some sympathy for players and Clubs, but ultimately, we're there to do a job, not make friends
I personally find this concept difficult because it conflicts with my personality, but you really don't want a misconduct charge like this on your record. Ultimately, actions have consequences and none of that is of your making
 
I always send them in I try managing friendlys alot more but there comes a point where they will cross the line
 
Absolutely send in sanctions, its part of your duties as a referee to do so.

is offside offside in a friendly?
a thow a throw?.
so follows suit a sanction is a sanction,
you get paid a match fee, you follow through with referee duties

the facility will cost the same, friendly or no friendly
at higher levels police perform the same duties, friendly or not, as do St Johns and so on....

so, so does the referee.
 
Robert said:
I have just felt very pressured recently into not submitting friendlys, so I just wanted to get an idea of how everyone else handles it.
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That's probably because they are getting referees who aren't putting them in. It is quite common, a lot of referees assume that they don't have to put anything in for friendlies, many don't even do the team sheets for example.

Two seasons ago when I did some friendlies the managers looked at me like I was a berk for bringing a teamsheet for them to fill in, and the players were stunned when I cautioned one of them. And that's in a region where regular e-mail reminders go out that friendly match cautions/dismissals must be sent in.

So, don't worry too much about it, keep doing as you do and send them in. If they don't like it, they won't book you again, but that shouldn't be an issue really.
 
Robert said:
Please move if this is in the wrong section.

Please give your honest answer, do you submit cards for a friendly? I have always done this but I’m now questioning whether I should or not.
I recently reffed with a sending off and few booking, coaches and team seem very confused and let down that I said I would submit the bookings. In my opinion the game I did was not ‘friendly’. The cards seem like no deterrent if there’s no punishment for getting them, but at the same time it’s a friendly.
What is everyone’s else views? NB the game I did was youth.
Click to expand...
Yes as the only time I’ve needed them I had 2 reds for VC and a couple of yellows put them through let your CFA sort in my opinion.
 
Agree with many of you here - cards are there for a reason, and if it warrants a RC or YC, it is given. I had 1 RC and 2YCs this weekend (overall in two games). One for DOGSO and two dodgy tackles.

They all go into county - for the exact reason mentioned above - if CFA finds out, you are in big dodo. But also, even though it is a friendly, the cards are there to maintain match control but more importantly look after the players too - if there isn't a deterant, you are really opening yourself up for trouble.

That said, I am generally far more lenient with my cards in friendlies, but if needed, I am not afraid to use them.
 
Think about it this way.

In a game there are cards given for behavioural reasons (dissent, VC, SPA etc.) I'd always be giving those even early in preseason.

There are also cards given for challenges. Some challenges are so obviously worthy of a card that you need to give them at any time in pre season, others are ones that are marginal cards - my general rule is that at the start of preseason those marginal ones will most likely be managed, as I'm giving a little more benefit of the doubt to players that are still finding fitness and that little bit of lack of sharpness can lead to a mistimed challenge. As you get closer to the start of the season, then your tolerance for those offences should alter accordingly.

Likewise DOGSO - A blatant DOGSO and the player is walking, but again consider thresholds for it, especially early in pre season where the player sharpness is not there, versus when the players are fully match fit.

To be clear what you shouldn't do is ignore the LOTG just because it's preseason, it doesn't give the players carte blanche to do what they like. However you can look to manage the more marginal things more than you would choose to in the regular season. Ohh and if you card someone, they always get put through!
 
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Another way of looking at it is.....what is a pre season/friendly, ( practise) match?

Its easy to simply consider it as a fitness exercise but, also bear in mind , as a practise, its worthwhile for teams going down to 10, and indeed the opponents

how to adjust, who to sub, what tactics to adopt, etc

So much so, when I have officiated training matches for coaching certificates, one senario is given to the referee that on a chosen time, blue 5 is to be sent off, without coaches prior knowledge, so the assessors can witness how the coaches respond.

A team going to ten in a friendly might just give them chance to practise things that will happen for real , so dont always treat it as a negative
 
I always, always ask for team sheets to be completed for any friendlies. I think that puts you at a psychological advantage as the teams then know that you know who's who and, if required, can issue and report sanctions appropriately.
 
Got a duty of care, not least to yourself, but to everyone, to get team sheets

if not there is an act of violence and you have no idea, and it be denied, who it was. At least if you know its blue 5, you have a starting point.
If we are being picky, only named subs can enter the field......

one of our key roles is safety of players, we cant do that if we dont know who is on our field!
 
Kent Ref said:
My old CFA RDO told me the season i left that 67% of referees that season put 0 cards through in a whole season.

I do wonder how many cards "get lost in the post" as they use to say.
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That would not surprise me.

I ran the line once and the referee didn’t give a nailed on caution, his reasoning at half time was that he didn’t want the hassle.
 
My pre match instructions to coaches/captains for friendlies are along the lines of:
Yellows I will manage where possible, reds are reds. Cards will be submitted to the local FA.

Most accept this and understand I will do what is required whilst also letting everyone have a good run out. Seems to work for me.
 

yet another view is, you dont sanction a clear DOGSO at one end, ten mins later you have one at the other end, or worse, the first instance is a tackle, and the second, the defender sinply palms the ball over the bar,

Your game is now a farce and the players are in control of proceedings
 
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