Why is the second one always soft??

[CallumRushton13]

Had a game yesterday... Blue vs green.

All going very smoothly, little bit of handbags and general moaning, but nothing over the top by any stretch...

Anyway, about 60 minutes in blue fouls green, easy free kick and public rebuke IMO (possibly a yellow in a game where there has been previous tackles similar to this) call him in and give him a final warning, that next time he fouls someone he WILL be going in the book. Player understands and off we go...

2 minutes later you'll never guess what... Same player pushes green in the back as he runs down the wing, two hands and enough to make him lose balance and fall... So in the book he goes.

Moans everywhere of how soft it was, and how he's never been booked before, replies from me of how Id warned him 2 minutes ago and how there's a first time for everything...

Why do players insist on stupid fouls even after a very public final warning?? Silly silly people

 

[Ryan Owens]

It always seems like the second one is soft, doesn't it? I don't think it actually is soft, but that the expectation is that it must be so much "harder" so to speak because of the result. However, that's a fallacy: it simply needs to be a cautionable offense because the player has already been cautioned which means he should know better than to step another toe out of line. For whatever reason (I could offer a few but I won't), players and coaches see yellow cards as punishments in themselves, not as a warning that the real punishment could be coming soon.

 

[Martiju]

I learned a lesson a long time ago about this. Now I never say 'the next one will be a caution' because you're giving yourself nowhere to go. I do say that if it keeps happening there is only one way I can go - and I try and do that with the captain present if possible.

Players, managers and spectators are all confused if you book for an obviously 'soft' one. The only other thing you can do is signal clearly that this is for persistent, rather than the foul itself. I go for the pointing to areas of the pitch, others clearly count on their fingers - I guess whatever get's the message across.