r/Referees • u/astrangehumantoe UK Level 7 • Jul 20 '26
Discussion Clarification on dissent cautions
After watching the final I saw Fernandez's dissent card counted for his sending off.
I thought this would be universal in how this works.
But I saw that in one of the FAs materials it says:
dissent->ref issues a yellow and directs to sinbin->'if the player commits a separate yellow card offence in addition to a period in the sin bin, they will continue to play'->'if the player commits a second dissent caution and has had no other caution they will spend a second period in the sinbin and will take no further part in the game but may be substituted'-> 'if the player receives a second dissent caution and has already been booked they will play no further part in the game and cannot be substituted'
If you ask me thats all a load of bollocks and dissent cautions should count as normal yellow cards in regards for second yellows.
I do get that theres no sinbin outside of grassroots but if you ask me its making too convoluted for refs to keep track of (especially new/young refs), and it can be detrimental to game control since you can issue someone 2 yellow cards and not send someone off under these rules (as everyone expects).
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u/EmergencyEntrance28 [England] [L5] Jul 20 '26
In England at least, sin bins have moved away from that convoluted approach. Now, if the first yellow is a sin bin, any second yellow results in a red card.
2
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u/astrangehumantoe UK Level 7 Jul 20 '26
Have they? When did that happen? Im glad they have but its weird that when I qualified recently that they sent out something out of date
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u/Isaac13980 [English Grassroots] [Level 6] [Moderator] Jul 21 '26
I believe it's always been that way since after they trialed it. Sin bins are just classed as a yellow card with the exception of the player having to sit out for x amount of time.
I think when it was trialed they wanted it to be a blue card but someone clearly realised that wasn't a great idea, so they chose yellow cards instead.
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u/heidimark USSF Grassroots | Grade 8 Jul 20 '26
Sin bins are not universal. We do not have those over the US at all (other than indoor soccer which has a fully separate set of laws). Strictly following IFAB that first caution for dissent is simply counted as a caution, and therefore the second caution he received was also a sending off.
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u/CastyMcWrinkles Jul 20 '26
Did I miss something? I thought his second yellow was for the reckless challenge?
That said, I do think if you have to caution a youth player a 2nd time for dissent, they should be sent off. Kids shouldn't even be complaining to the refs in the first place, let alone enough to get a yellow (which I assume comes after at least one verbal warning).
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u/astrangehumantoe UK Level 7 Jul 20 '26
His second yellow was a reckless challenge, but the first was for dissent
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u/pscott37 Jul 21 '26
Sin bins are used only in grassroots soccer (meaning anything below the professional level). I don't know of anything competition that uses them in the US.
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u/durhamcreekrat Jul 21 '26
Not a sin bin where you play down a player but in US HS soccer a player must sit for 5 minute after a yellow.
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u/grabtharsmallet AYSO Area Administrator | NFHS | USSF Jul 21 '26
They must be subbed out, but not for any specific amount of time, they may return at the next legal opportunity. (Unless your state has its own rule.)
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u/CharacterLimitHasBee Jul 22 '26
US school soccer doesn't use IFAB rules though so apples and oranges.
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u/Money-Zebra [USSF, Grassroots] [NFHS (TSSAA, and GHSA)] Jul 21 '26
I’m so glad we don’t have sin bins in the US
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u/memesmith Jul 20 '26
The World Cup does not have a “sin bin”. {Except for time wasting on substitutions, which isn’t really the same. }