Declan Rice’s sending off for a second caution created a lot of discussion, so I thought It might be worth discussing why second cautions can sometimes cause referees difficult decisions.
Most people today recognise a caution as a yellow card, but the card is purely to indicate that a caution has been given. Should the referee forget to show the card the caution still stands.
Years ago when administering a caution, we asked the players for their name and then showed them what you had written in the notebook. This ensured it was spelt correctly but occasionally players who had given a false name would change it. We informed the player they were being cautioned and any further cautionable act would result in being sent off. I found this often-influenced subsequent behaviour. Today with team sheets and yellow cards, all this can be ignored.
There are many cautionable offences, for instance, 14 listed under unsporting behaviour alone. Some have nothing to do with the play. I remember being at the Madejski Stadium in the days substitutes did their warming up behind the Assistant referee. A Reading centre forward, who was a substitute, told the assistant referee what he thought of his decision. The referee came over and showed him a yellow card. Dissent is cautionable. When called upon to play later, he scored and decided to celebrate with the Reading fans, by climbing up the perimeter fencing. Another cautionable act, resulting in a second yellow card and a sending off. Two offences not even on the pitch.
Sometimes when a second cautionable offence takes place, it can create something of a dilemma for a referee. If he awards another caution, then the player will be sent off and it was only for a cautionable offence. So when it comes to a tackle for instance, he may decide It’s a foul but nothing else, subconsciously thinking whether two reckless tackles, equal one with excessive force which may seriously injure an opponent?
Keith Hackett, who was very good to me when he was head of the Premier League referees, had a method which he instilled into his referees. When it came to a possible second caution, he wanted them to think, was it an ‘orange card’ offence? In other words was it worse than a normal yellow card although not quite bad enough for a red one. If not, keep the second yellow card in the pocket.
I often think a similar thought passes through many referees minds today.
By Dick Sawdon Smith
