Players to see red over blue language

PLAYERS are facing a crackdown on abusive language to match officials, on-pitch mass confrontations and dangerous tackles ahead of the new soccer season.

Teams have been warned that verbal abuse of officials, such as that directed at Graham Poll by Wayne Rooney at Highbury last season, will now be punished by an immediate red card.

Referees will take a stronger stance towards mass confrontations between players, while managers have been reminded of their responsibility towards the game in terms of restraining their post-match comments and pre-match mind games.

There will also be a shift in emphasis on tackles, with all dangerous challenges - not only those from behind - now leading to a red card.

The warnings come on the eve of the new season, with the Football Association, Premier League and Football League having joined forces with the Professional Footballers’ Association and League Managers’ Association in a collective show of unity.

The guidelines are exemplified by a set of posters, which will be put up in all dressing-rooms, urging players to ‘respect the game, respect the ref!’

Referees supremo Keith Hackett declared: “Any player who provokes a direct confrontation with a match official and uses offensive, insulting or abusive language will be dismissed. We have made that very clear.”

Hackett drew a clear distinction between ‘off the cuff’ swearing by players in frustration at a decision and ‘premeditated’ verbal abuse of players.

While he was reluctant to discuss individual cases, he did confirm that Rooney’s prolonged outburst at Poll at Highbury last season should - and now would - result in an automatic red card.

“It’s as simple as that. I don’t want things to revolve around one particular player but that is a picture of what I’m trying to get over in terms of using insulting language in an aggressive manner,” he added.

“Having spoken to the referee involved in that, the overview is that behaviour is unacceptable. The age of the player doesn’t count.”

The new guidelines

* Players who “provoke a direct confrontation with a match official and use offensive, insulting or abusive language” will be sent off, while those who swear in frustration at decisions will receive a warning.

* Referees will take a stronger stance towards mass confrontations between players by “identifying and punishing the instigators and any player whose actions escalate or inflame the situation.”

* Rather than specifying tackles ‘from behind’, the rules will now relate to all tackles - from whatever direction. Those that are careless will lead to a free-kick, those that are reckless will result in a free-kick and booking, while those that endanger an opponent’s safety will lead to a red card.

* The rugby-style ‘10-yard rule’, which moved free-kicks forward by 9.15 metres when players contested decisions, has been scrapped following opposition within FIFA.

* At throw-ins, all defending players must now be at least 2m away from the touchline.

Referees will take a proactive approach to asking players to retreat the required distance.

* There is to be no discernible change in the offside law. Officials will continue with their ‘wait and see’ policy, giving themselves time to see if an offside player is in an active position or not interfering with play before making a final decision.