The English Football Association Tuesday launched an initiative aimed at improving the behavior of players, fans and coaches across all levels of the game.
Starting this season, only captains will be allowed to approach the referee, and players will have to adhere to a basic code of conduct. Referees will deal more firmly with dissent, while spectators at lower level games will be stationed on the opposite side of the field to coaches. They will have to stand two yards back from the field behind touchline barriers to allow the assistant referees “to perform their function unimpeded,” a measure that has worked well in trials.
There’s special emphasis on the role of the captain. The new code says that “while the captain does not have any special privileges under the Laws of the Game, captains will be expected to take on more responsibility for the conduct of their team. The captain will act as the main contact point for the referee, and will be called over to an incident involving a team-mate even if he/she is some distance away.” On player backchat “the instruction to referees is to stay and deal with dissent rather than moving away.”