Video Instruction – Misconduct
The NCAA Soccer Rules indicate fighting as a separate ejection offense with a different set of administrative penalties. Our recent instructional video presentation on ejection offenses provides comprehensive background on how to discern between misconduct offenses. We strongly suggest you review the presentation before viewing this clip to help you make the correct decision.
Instructions
We strongly suggest you have a copy of the
NISOA considerations available as you are reviewing this clip. The NISOA Official decision will reference the considerations and help you better understand the decision making process. When you select one of the decision choices below, you will unlock the "Get the NISOA decision" button.
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NISOA Official Decision
NISOA Decision: Ejection for Fighting
Rule 12.7.4.9.1. A fight is defined as a deliberate strike or punch or an attempt to strike or punch another player, official, coach or bench personnel. These acts include, but are not limited to, kicking, head-butting, hair pulling or an open-handed strike if done deliberately and in a malicious manner.
NCAA Considerations for Fighting:
- Complete disregard of the danger to the opponent.
- Puts an opponent in a dangerous situation.
- Clearly endangers the safety of the opponent.
- Use of brutality.
- Shows clear malice.
Penalty
According to Rule 12.7.4.9.4, when a player is ejected for Fighting, the referee shall inform the player, the head coach, and the official scorekeeper, who shall record on the official NCAA box score form, that an ejection for fighting has been issued. In this case, the referee shall notify #11 from Omaha, the head coach from Omaha, and the official scorekeeper of the reason for the ejection.
The ejected player must leave the venue, be out of sight and sound, and is prohibited from any communication or contact, direct or indirect, with the team, coaches and/or bench personnel until the completion of the contest, including all overtime periods. The athletic trainer is the exception to the rule and is permitted to be in the designated spectator area if he/she is ejected. After the ejection, #11 from Omaha cannot remain in the team bench area. He must leave the facility and be out of sight and sound. Game Ops and Security may be used to expedite this process and ensure the rule is enforced.
Video Review
If available, video review can be used to determined if the head-butt occurred and which player committed the offense (i.e Rule 5.7.3.3 determining whether a fight occurred and identifying all participants).
Decisions: 1382
With laws in a hand red.
With common sense caution (referee experience).
Red Card ejection for fighting makes sense. If you only award a Yellow, methinks someone is going to get a leg broke or worse from retaliation. In this case, the NCAA Rule Book prevails.
Common sense should tell you as a referee to apply the laws of the game as they are written… That is why we have these trainings – so that we are all on the same page applying the laws consistently as referees and not applying them based on our “referee experience” or “common sense”…
This is one of those flash-points where a game can go from fair + competitive to an escalating series of retaliations. The player clearly lunged forward with his head in order to make contact with the opponent, there’s no room for that in soccer, 100% red (and using the guidelines, for Fighting rather than Violent Behavior.
Zinedine Zedane ejected with a RED card for a violent head bunt…a violent conduct is a violent conduct. Common sense is to give the red for a violent conduct.
There is a lot in this clip that is bothersome. First, the position of the referee – is he close to play to see and hear? Second, is the referee pointing the correction direction. Third, was there taunting and who started it. There was an attempt to strike the blue player – by NCAA mandate that equals fighting so there’s got to be a R/C. What to do with the blue player. Did he also commit misconduct?
I feel like that was violent. He was pissed that the guy tackled him and won. (Clean tackle)
He threw a temper tantrum. That feels more violent than fighting but I hear you.
Yes, however NCAA rules clearly state “head-butting” as one of the examples for fighting, so it has to be “fighting”.
Excellent choice of video clip to clearly reinforce Rule 12.7.4.9.1. #11 will have plenty of time to think about that 5 second lapse of self-control.
Good video showing a perfect example of a deliberate head-butt.
If you just follow the rules, you and your crew, as well as those that come in behind you will have an easier job!