There are seven reasons for issuing a Caution to a player. (Quick, name them!) Six of them are fairly straight forward and easy to assess. One is not... Persistent Infringement. That may be because FIFA and USSF have issued written guidelines on how to determine when PI should be called, but only for specific cases like Law 14, delaying restarts and goalkeepers wasting time. But what about dynamic play and fouling? Actually, it's pretty easy.

Look for the pattern.

There are two "easy" cases:
1) a pattern of 3 or more fouls by one player against any opponent;
2) a pattern of 3 or more fouls by any opponents against one player.

But, how do you detect the pattern?

Many referees, instructors and assessors talk about "counting" the fouls. Most don't really mean it the way it sounds. Which is a good thing. Can you imagine trying to control an intense U16B Division 2 match, and keeping a mental tally of who has committed how many fouls? ("Let's see, that's one for Number 8 Red, one for Number 6 Green, two for Number 3... or was that three for Number 2... or... whoa! What just happened out there!?")

Okay, some refs can really do it. But, for those with more... average mental abilities, here's a trick. Pay attention to what's happening.

Look at the player when you call the foul. Look at the face. Look at the number. If any face or number starts getting too familiar, there may be a pattern there. Run it back in your mind and you just might find that you have been "counting" all along.

(There is an added benefit here. The player you have just called for a foul will see you looking at him. This may curb future reckless behaviour.)

You can use a similar trick for the single player (usually the star) getting fouled by different opponents. Look at the player committing the foul, and the player fouled. When he starts looking too familiar... Yep, a pattern.

There is a third case:
3) a pattern of too many fouls by a team against various opposing players.

If you find yourself calling a lot of fouls - especially if they are the same foul - against one team, consider the possibility of a pattern. Some teams find the easiest defense involves fouling the attackers. Some teams can't mount an attack without fouling the defenders. This one isn't too common, but it's fairly easy to spot if you're paying attention.

The acts that would trigger a PI Caution will normally occur in a relatively short period of time. If, for example, you see three fouls in one half, you might determine that the next one gets the yellow card. If nothing happens for a reasonable period of time, then the team or player may well not be persistent in fouling, and you can turn off the PI switch. Bob Evans and Ed Bellion, in their book For the Good of the Game, suggest criteria of four fouls in a half or six in a game. Consider the number of fouls, the time frame, and their level of seriousness; for example, four minor fouls in a half may call for a talk, while three hard fouls in fifteen minutes is probably PI.

So, you see a pattern. What do you do next?

Issue a verbal warning. Make it clear that the fouling has gone far enough and the next foul by that player, or the next player to commit a foul earns a Caution. And give that Caution if your warning isn't heeded. That is certainly fair for the first case mentioned above, and for the other two it's just too bad for that player, but he should not be part of the pattern.

The proper and forceful use of the verbal warning can avoid having to Caution for PI, and may also avoid retaliation by the fouled team or player. Always be willing to talk to the players.

Note: PI refers to fouls. Despite the name, we don't caution for persistent infringements of Laws other than Law 12.

04/21/02

(If you wish to comment on this article, send a message to basra@basra-refs.org.)

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