Fair Play: The PFF Catalogue of Punishments
I’VE covered football for quite some time and played the game in high school but it was only during the final day of the CAFC 10th Invitational Interclub that I got a copy of the PFF’s Catalogue of Punishments.
It’s only four pages long but it’s quite compelling.
Though there are some gray areas, the catalogue, if implemented strictly, is a great help for football officials.
Football refs are the most-abused in sports and refs in the Interclub were no exception.
One even got kicked by a player in the 36-above division.
This division is quite an anomaly, it’s the oldest in Cebu and you’d expect the players to have mellowed. But, it seems, the players are bent on showing the rest how tough they are; hence, you see more than the usual share of rough plays committed by old guys who should know better.
One player, who used to play in the division, told me, “Kapoy duwa sa mga tiguwang nga binata’g utok.”
The player in question was yellow carded after complaining excessively. He called the ref, “bogo!” and was carded again, which carried an automatic red card. But before storming off, he kicked the ref.
That player, who has two sons in the age groups, is now looking at an indefinite suspension.
Paragraph 2 of the PFF Catalogue introductory page ends with a warning, in all caps: ALL CASES OF VIOLENCE MUST BE SEVERELY PUNISHED.
Just calling the referee “bogo,” is grounds for an indefinite suspension.
I also didn’t know the PFF changed the rules on players who get straight red-cards for violent conduct.
I knew it carried an automatic suspension, but according to the PFF catalogue, players who get a red card “shall remain suspended until the disciplinary committee has decided on the measure to be given.”
And another, the penalty for “expulsion by the referee for serious acts of violence against players, coaches, team officials, tournament officials or spectators” is indefinite suspension.
Coaches who love to insult refs will get fined P200 the first time, and double the previous fine for each repetition. So a coach who does it five times in a tournament will have to pay P6,200 in fines.
That should teach him a lesson.
Unfounded accusations (“Gibayran ka ref?”), derogatory remarks (“Hastang bugo-a nimo ref”) are grounds for an indefinite suspension.
And he has to pay, the refs can make sure of that.
Paragraph 4 of Page 1 states that if players, coaches, team officials or team defy punishment, the referee can opt to delay their next game until they comply. If they insist, the match can be abandoned in favor of the opponent.
And one other thing, wily players, sometimes try to (and they do) get away with punishment by making sure the four officials don’t see them when they deliver a punch or other things that would have earned a punishment.
Per the catalogue: “the tournament committee shall see to it that the punishments are carried out according to this catalogue, even when the violators are unnoticed by the fourth official, assistant referees or referee of the match.”
It’s only four pages long but it’s quite compelling.
Though there are some gray areas, the catalogue, if implemented strictly, is a great help for football officials.
Football refs are the most-abused in sports and refs in the Interclub were no exception.
One even got kicked by a player in the 36-above division.
This division is quite an anomaly, it’s the oldest in Cebu and you’d expect the players to have mellowed. But, it seems, the players are bent on showing the rest how tough they are; hence, you see more than the usual share of rough plays committed by old guys who should know better.
One player, who used to play in the division, told me, “Kapoy duwa sa mga tiguwang nga binata’g utok.”
The player in question was yellow carded after complaining excessively. He called the ref, “bogo!” and was carded again, which carried an automatic red card. But before storming off, he kicked the ref.
That player, who has two sons in the age groups, is now looking at an indefinite suspension.
Paragraph 2 of the PFF Catalogue introductory page ends with a warning, in all caps: ALL CASES OF VIOLENCE MUST BE SEVERELY PUNISHED.
Just calling the referee “bogo,” is grounds for an indefinite suspension.
I also didn’t know the PFF changed the rules on players who get straight red-cards for violent conduct.
I knew it carried an automatic suspension, but according to the PFF catalogue, players who get a red card “shall remain suspended until the disciplinary committee has decided on the measure to be given.”
And another, the penalty for “expulsion by the referee for serious acts of violence against players, coaches, team officials, tournament officials or spectators” is indefinite suspension.
Coaches who love to insult refs will get fined P200 the first time, and double the previous fine for each repetition. So a coach who does it five times in a tournament will have to pay P6,200 in fines.
That should teach him a lesson.
Unfounded accusations (“Gibayran ka ref?”), derogatory remarks (“Hastang bugo-a nimo ref”) are grounds for an indefinite suspension.
And he has to pay, the refs can make sure of that.
Paragraph 4 of Page 1 states that if players, coaches, team officials or team defy punishment, the referee can opt to delay their next game until they comply. If they insist, the match can be abandoned in favor of the opponent.
And one other thing, wily players, sometimes try to (and they do) get away with punishment by making sure the four officials don’t see them when they deliver a punch or other things that would have earned a punishment.
Per the catalogue: “the tournament committee shall see to it that the punishments are carried out according to this catalogue, even when the violators are unnoticed by the fourth official, assistant referees or referee of the match.”
Comments
By the way, have you ever heard about yummy-cebu.com? I hear they just finished a new contest called Mama's day out!