Referees take firm stance

Clear message
The clear message from this week's 16th UEFA Advanced Course for Elite and Premier Referees in Limassol, Cyprus was that strict action must be taken to protect players from unfair play – including dangerous tackles and holding in the penalty area – and also to protect the image of the game, particularly in scenes of player confrontation.

Respect
The importance of maintaining respect was also writ large, with match officials told not to hesitate over sanctioning players who undermine their authority. Besides these on-field measures, UEFA has also taken the step of asking an assistant referee to monitor the tunnel area to help ensure good behaviour as players leave the field at half-time and at the end of the game.

Tackling under microscope
This annual gathering of Europe's top referees presented the opportunity to review the season so far – and receive instructions for the remainder of the campaign. The 52-strong group spent hours analysing incidents from this season's UEFA Champions League group stage games and one specific area under the microscope was tackling – specifically, high or reckless challenges that endangered opponents.

Foot raised
After viewing a number of tackles where the referee chose not to show a red card, the match officials were left in no doubt that such challenges – particularly ones where the foot was raised - warranted immediate dismissal. Explaining UEFA's stance, head of refereeing Yvan Cornu said: "According to the Laws of the Game, the only sanction possible is a red card if it's an aggressive action which can injure the opponent. We also mentioned the importance of good positioning, which can sometimes make it difficult to identify the offence, and the importance of teamwork. If an offence is out of the view of the main referee, it is the task of the assistant referee to signal serious foul play."

'Avoid mass confrontation'
Players will also risk serious punishment for the 'mob scenes' that have caused increasing concern for the European football governing body. Anybody tempted to race halfway across the pitch to join in should think again as referees have been instructed to issue an automatic yellow card. "We expect the referee to be on the spot quickly in order to avoid the mass confrontation," added Cornu. "But if it escalates and goes beyond a slight contact to acts of aggression, then this is violent conduct and a red card."

Holding and pushing
The referees were applauded for their efforts to clamp down on holding and pushing in the penalty box and were told to keep up the good work. The instruction from UEFA was that they should issue only one warning and if the players continued, then the referee should book them and, when applicable, award a free-kick or penalty. An equally tough line was encouraged against players who disobey the match official in a defensive wall at a free-kick: if they continued to ignore the referee after an initial warning, a booking would follow.

'Not acceptable'
UEFA's stance on respect is clear and teams resuming their UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup campaigns should know dissent will not be tolerated. "You have to make sure the players are aware dissent is not acceptable and this does not just refer to words but gestures too," said Hugh Dallas, one of the referee instructors. It is not just during the 90 minutes that players will have to maintain acceptable standards either. UEFA hopes the decision to position an assistant referee in the tunnel will help ensure no future problems between players on their walk back to the dressing rooms. The game's image needs protecting as well as its performers, after all.