> The black card being brandished will be the final part of a three-step process. In the first instance, the referee will temporarily suspend the match and ask coaches to speak directly to its team’s supporters and parents, while an announcement will also be communicated to supporters should a public address system be available.

> Should the behaviour continue, the referee will suspend the match for 10 minutes and send the teams off the pitch to their dressing room while once again asking coaches to attempt to de-escalate the behaviour of those in the stands.

> The FRF then detail the process behind using the black card as the final step: “If abusive behaviour persists after play resumes, the referee blows the final whistle. The match is permanently abandoned and cannot be resumed.”

Why is the remedy not simply ejecting the offenders? They get three chances to cancel the game, with the entirety of the punishments being towards people who did nothing wrong?

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mbreese 4 hours ago | parent | next [-]

This is a common misconception. The referee has no control over who is in the stands - they are “outside agents”. Many people think that the referee can eject a spectator, but they can’t. The referee only has authority over the players and coaches.

This is why the first remedy is to ask the coaches to get their parents under control. In general, if the abuse continues, the coach can be carded as that’s the only person the ref can discipline.

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jdeibele 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I referee volleyball. Our instructions are to get the home team - preferably the athletic director or somebody similar but ultimately the home coach if there's no one else - to do something about somebody behaving in an unacceptable way.

We're advised not to act too friendly with coaches because some people might think we're favoring their team. Involving the coach if you don't have to might create the opposite impression, that you're upset with the coach or team.

I've never experienced or heard of this being an issue in volleyball. I'm sure it's happened, particularly at the club level where parents are paying big money for their kids to play. Other sports, particularly basketball or football, it definitely happens.

	▲	spockz 19 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		Came to say the same. Except it is the team captain that you should address. Typically they will then escalate to the coach/club coordinator or something. By the time that is finished the guilty party has either left by their own volition already or through the other spectators. Volleyball is a chill sport and I have had only once in refereeing junior games (<16/18) that a spectator went to far. Most shenanigans if any is typically directed at the referees not even the players. There has been a slight uptake in nastiness that I attribute to the sport becoming more popular. (Context: the Netherlands, 12 years of experience from the lowest classes to 2nd division)

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beart 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

From my experience, the refs typically assign responsibility to the head coach of the team the fans represent. It's not the refs job to manage the fans. They are there to manage the game. If the coach or staff determine the problem fans should be removed, they can do that.

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Fred27 4 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

If it's anything like the UK then it's likely the games are played in a public space like a park, so it might not be possible to eject the parent.

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SkyPuncher 4 hours ago | parent | next [-]

I remember a parent being "ejected" when I was younger. Technically, they didn't "have to leave", but social pressure is enough for them to recognize they should leave the situation.

* All of the parents already know who the abusive parent is

* The first warning was the coach talking to the "entire group" (at a natural stopping point). The group dialed it back (there will always be some controversial calls), but that one parent didn't get the message.

* Finally, the game stopped suddenly (ball was in play, but in a neutral position) and they we're directly addressed by the ref.

This caught the abusers attention. This was an abnormal event. They were being addressed directly. Whether they realized they were the problem, they certainly recognized the social pressure. They recognized how embarrassing it was (sadly, they probably didn't realize how embarrassing it was for their kid) and decided to take the ref's suggestion to cool down.

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lacunary 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

I don't buy it. You can kick someone out of a park for not following the rules of the park. The refs just need to be empowered.

	▲	SkyPuncher 4 hours ago \| parent \| next [-]
		You don't need any real legal basis. We're talking about kids sporting events. Social pressure is often enough. You don't want to be the reason your kids team lost. You don't want your kid getting kicked of their team for your behavior.
	▲	3 hours ago \| parent \| prev \| next [-]
		[deleted]
	▲	beart 4 hours ago \| parent \| prev \| next [-]
		I doubt many refs want this responsibility, even if it were feasible. And I don't think it is feasible in most cases. For instance, how is the ref going to pick out the problem fans while also managing the game itself? And how is the ref supposed to enforce the removal? Keep in mind these refs are often volunteers, working solo, have no official connection to the teams or field owners. And there is a ref shortage virtually everywhere, at all levels and sports. Making it more difficult just isn't realistic.
	▲	badgersnake 4 hours ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		There is nobody to do that. And nobody to make sure they don’t just come straight back.

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mschuster91 3 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

> Why is the remedy not simply ejecting the offenders?

Because if the situation is so heated up to warrant an abort, you'd need security staff or even riot police to yeet the offenders.

And no, I'm not joking. Private security staff ain't gonna break up a mob of 40 people bashing each others' heads in [1], and when it's 70 people involved [2], you gotta pray that they've KO'd each other out because even riot cops won't break up a fight club that large.

[1] https://www.swr.de/swraktuell/baden-wuerttemberg/heilbronn/m...

[2] https://www.br.de/nachrichten/bayern/erlangen-massenschlaege...