A-League to implement yellow and red cards for unruly managers, coaches in world first

The move is aimed to communicate discipline to managers and coaches says the Australian FA.

In a move to communicate more effectively with unruly managers and team officials, the Football Federation of Australia (FFA) with consent from the International Football Association Board, who is responsible for the laws of the game, has announced that even team officials will be shown yellow and Red cards as players and will have similar implications.

Currently in accordance to the laws of the game, only a player, substitute or substituted player may be shown the red or yellow card. But the FFA is extending this to coaches as well as team officials who tend to be unruly.

Managers and their support staff risk being banished from the touchline for repeated infringements including kicking or throwing water bottles, delaying the restart of the game or for using offensive language or gestures toward match officials, rival teams or fans.

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The FFA on Tuesday said the A-League and W-League are the first top-tier domestic competitions to receive approval from the Zurich-based International Football Association Board to conduct the trial, starting on Friday.

"Referees already have a process which is by way of conversation to coaches to warn them before removing them from the technical area after poor behavior," Greg O'Rourke, head of the A-League and W-League, said. "Essentially, this trial will visualize those steps and as such better communicate to fans that the referees are giving the coaches and others formal warnings.

"It will help fans and viewers better understand the issues that match officials face on a weekly basis and help promote respect toward them." O'Rourke said the FFA would update its regulations so that the consequence of accumulating yellow cards for team officials will mirror those applied to players, and game suspensions can be imposed.

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Other instances of "serious irresponsible behavior" that could warrant a red card for team officials, according to the FFA, include violent and aggressive behavior, spitting at any person or leaving the technical area and acting in a provocative or inflammatory manner.