A&H

OFFINABUS

B

boblardo

Active Member
Level 5 Referee
had a very good game this evening, very competitive and had both teams been able to finish it would have been much closer than the final 3-1 score line

Anyway I had an incident of OFFINABUS today from the away team goalkeeper who turned and rather loudly shouted “you f&@cking *****” at an opposition player. I stopped the game and showed him a red card.

The away team were obviously upset and said we’ve all been swearing all game and while that is true it’s general frustration such as “for f@&k sake” etc nothing aggressive or towards someone

As I had a similar incident in my game last week I’m starting to wonder if I’m getting this wrong and just posting here for thoughts!
 
The Referee Store
Not one to preach but the laws state “using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or action(s)”

It makes no distinction about who the language is aimed at but also at what point do we deem language to be offensive, insulting or abusive?
 
boblardo said:
Not one to preach but the laws state “using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or action(s)”

It makes no distinction about who the language is aimed at but also at what point do we deem language to be offensive, insulting or abusive?
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I have a huge issue, as a disabled person, with the use of the word spastic at county level leagues. Benches, players, fans all chuck it out.

If I send anyone off for it then everyone is confused as to why. When I am an AR I just have to put up with it because even other referees don’t see the issue or just can’t be bothered with the hassle.

Frankly some swearing isn’t usually enough if it’s player on player but I’ve had a manager ask for a red after a female player called another a ****. So it’s a bit contextual.
 
OnlyUseMeWhistle said:
I have a huge issue, as a disabled person, with the use of the word spastic at county level leagues.
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For me that would be getting a red card. Clearly discriminatory language.

I have to say that it isn't anything I've ever heard "down here". Perhaps a regional preference.

As for the the general OFFINABUS between players, I let them get on with it and will only step in with warnings if I feel it is escalating. Chats with payers/captains first then AAA would be my next step.
 
Viridis1886 said:
For me that would be getting a red card. Clearly discriminatory language.

I have to say that it isn't anything I've ever heard "down here". Perhaps a regional preference.

As for the the general OFFINABUS between players, I let them get on with it and will only step in with warnings if I feel it is escalating. Chats with payers/captains first then AAA would be my next step.
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I’m in Wiltshire and hear mong and spastic loads, both get met with baffled red cards for OFFINABUS.
 
boblardo said:
had a very good game this evening, very competitive and had both teams been able to finish it would have been much closer than the final 3-1 score line

Anyway I had an incident of OFFINABUS today from the away team goalkeeper who turned and rather loudly shouted “you f&@cking *****” at an opposition player. I stopped the game and showed him a red card.

The away team were obviously upset and said we’ve all been swearing all game and while that is true it’s general frustration such as “for f@&k sake” etc nothing aggressive or towards someone

As I had a similar incident in my game last week I’m starting to wonder if I’m getting this wrong and just posting here for thoughts!
Click to expand...
From my perspective, you're getting this spot on. Players need to understand that there is now a clear distinction in the laws between everyday 'industrial' language and words which are chosen to be used in order to be offensive, insulting or abusive. The latter are most definitely red card offences, whether aimed at match officials, opposition players / officials or spectators.
 
OnlyUseMeWhistle said:
I have a huge issue, as a disabled person, with the use of the word spastic at county level leagues. Benches, players, fans all chuck it out.

If I send anyone off for it then everyone is confused as to why. When I am an AR I just have to put up with it because even other referees don’t see the issue or just can’t be bothered with the hassle.

Frankly some swearing isn’t usually enough if it’s player on player but I’ve had a manager ask for a red after a female player called another a ****. So it’s a bit contextual.
Click to expand...
I sent someone off for this at myself and as I’m also disabled got upgraded to serious charge was u17 as well
 
boblardo said:
Not one to preach but the laws state “using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or action(s)”

It makes no distinction about who the language is aimed at but also at what point do we deem language to be offensive, insulting or abusive?
Click to expand...
Every referee has their own tolerance and every decision has its own context.

Perjorative language in a way is easier to deal with, as any use of misogynistic, homophobic, racist, body shaming etc etc used in any context is an easy (red) decision to make. Obvs navigating slang that has become normalised can be tricky for players to understand.

But basic eff this, eff that, eff you, effing the other… it is up to you to consider the context, aggression, direction and in the end what football expects. Be proactive- if the effin’ and blindin’ starts at grassroots next to a playground - talk to the players “family show guys”… if you get an aggressive “effin’ sh** joke ref” in a heated game when there has already been a dissent card, it’s probably red.
 
santa sangria said:
Every referee has their own tolerance and every decision has its own context.

Perjorative language in a way is easier to deal with, as any use of misogynistic, homophobic, racist, body shaming etc etc used in any context is an easy (red) decision to make. Obvs navigating slang that has become normalised can be tricky for players to understand.

But basic eff this, eff that, eff you, effing the other… it is up to you to consider the context, aggression, direction and in the end what football expects. Be proactive- if the effin’ and blindin’ starts at grassroots next to a playground - talk to the players “family show guys”… if you get an aggressive “effin’ sh** joke ref” in a heated game when there has already been a dissent card, it’s probably red.
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Gave a yellow to a player, who is also a ref, for looking up at me and saying "eff off" in more explicit terms during a heated game.

I'd been getting some little comments but nothing worthy of dissent, so I went with a sin bin and had nothing else all game.

A red and I'd have lost her whole team, might have been fair in law but just couldn't lose the control like that.

After she knew she'd been lucky it wasn't red.
 
It does get hard with offinabus when it’s between players, as previous post have indicated, for me anything that can be considered discriminatory is met with a red card.

Example of this was in my game last night 5 mins into the game 2 opposition players were engaged in some back and forth with you are this and you are that which was met by me with a cut it out lads. It changed when one of the players decided to call the other one a fa***t which ended his participation in the game after 5 mins and he was genuinely shocked at the red card being produced as he didn’t mean it in the context he delivered it. I basically told him that it’s unacceptable in any context and he needed to leave the field of play.
 
Andy Byrne said:
It changed when one of the players decided to call the other one a fa***t which ended his participation in the game after 5 mins and he was genuinely shocked at the red card being produced as he didn’t mean it in the context he delivered it. I basically told him that it’s unacceptable in any context and he needed to leave the field of play.
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Well done, seen plenty of refs chicken out because it's one of those that get's thrown out regardless of context or meaning. He won't do it again and that's the point, it educates the impulsive uses and deters the bigotted.
 
Russell Jones said:
From my perspective, you're getting this spot on. Players need to understand that there is now a clear distinction in the laws between everyday 'industrial' language and words which are chosen to be used in order to be offensive, insulting or abusive. The latter are most definitely red card offences, whether aimed at match officials, opposition players / officials or spectators.
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Yes, generally agree. I'd be gauging the reaction of the victim. If they ain't offended, then I'm looking for another fire to douse
Also, depends on how Public the comment is because that's gonna determine whether someone else could've been offended (like the Observer!) and whether it's likely to invite other players into the same behaviour

Also, sometimes the words used are generic, other times the words are specific, like prejudice, but also the way someone looks or whatever
The latter is far more likely to be offensive

Not an exact science in a nutshell.
 
OnlyUseMeWhistle said:
Well done, seen plenty of refs chicken out because it's one of those that get's thrown out regardless of context or meaning. He won't do it again and that's the point, it educates the impulsive uses and deters the bigotted.
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It’s something I simply won’t stand for in a game, I have had 6 players for homophobic comments over the last 3 seasons including one of them coming from a female player who was gay herself.
 
Sent a captain off after the final whistle whilst we were doing the handshakes all round, had been a good game, home team won by a goal after being 2 up in the first half, some of away team were a bit vocal but I didn't feel it went above my threshold for dissent, I was managing it without a sin bin and felt i was keeping a lid on things.

Away captain hasn't really enjoyed my decisions at times in the game, is about 10 yards away from me at the handshakes and twice tells me that I was 'effing poo', bit more vulgar though...

Ask his name (he's probably expecting a caution), red card goes up in the air.

No real arguments from the away staff afterwards, more just commenting that it was 'emotion'.

Didn't wash with me.

Captain should know better, level of responsibility etc.

Oh, and this was FA Vase.
 
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