Football’s int'l rule makers gave A-League execs permission to trial coaches being given yellow and red cards for dissent and abuse of match officials or opposition players, "in a very public attempt" to reduce such behavior, according to Tom Smithies of the Sydney DAILY TELEGRAPH. The Int'l FA Board confirmed its agreement to the trial in the past few days, and its introduction "will be delayed by several weeks as the detail is worked out -- such as what penalty, if any, will be invoked for the accrual of several yellows." But as part of a global attempt to "reduce public displays of dissent" toward match officials, Australian referees may show yellow and then red cards to coaches "as soon as round four of the new season." Competition officials believe that "being explicitly warned via a yellow card will act as a deterrent," though A-League Dir of Referees Ben Wilson emphasized that "a warning system has been used for some time, but without the public codification of using cards." Wilson said, "IFAB has been looking at ways to increase respect for officials, and in the past in an Australian context there has been criticism of some behavior in the technical areas in the A-League. IFAB has agreed that using yellow and red cards could be a way of affecting behavior like that, and they want to see how it plays out" (DAILY TELEGRAPH, 10/4).
