Reading Football Club supporters who have watched their games on their computers or televisions will have seen their new manager, Veljko Paunovic, shown a yellow card recently.
Although referees have always had the authority to send managers to the stands, the use of yellow and red cards for club officials only entered the Laws of the Game in 2019.
There are too many reasons for these actions to list in this column. These range from a warning, a caution (yellow card) and a red card, which means they must leave the technical area. On local parks where they have no technical area, officials must move away from the pitch.
Let me just take dissent of the referees decision which is on the lists for all three categories.
A minor/low level disagreement by word or action could result in a warning.
For a yellow card, the dissent might include throwing or kicking drinks bottles or other objects and gestures which fail to show due respect for match officials, I think the Reading manager’s dissent falls into that category.
Red cards can be given for entering the field of play to confront a match official, (including at half time or full time), showing dissent or remonstrating with a match official, or acting in a provocative or inflammatory manner.
A couple of Premier League managers have been shown red cards this season. Slaven Bilic of West Brom, charged on to the field at half time waving his arms about.
Carlo Ancelotti of Everton was much calmer when entering the field at full time for a prolonged confrontation but obviously he wasn’t praising the referee.
Most sanctions are probably due to club officials behaviour to the fourth official. Standing between club officials, he is an easy target for their dissatisfaction.
His job however is not just to show the boards for substitutions and added time. It is to help the referee on the field, which is difficult when being harangued by complaints from team officials.
In any case he’s never going to get the referees to change his decision.
By Dick Sawdon Smith
