The general manager of the Professional Referee Organization, Peter Walton, who manages the referee program in the US and Canadian professional ranks, on Thursday addressed all the talk about red cards in the early part of the new MLS season.
In a conference call with reporters, Walton made it a point to indicate that the number of red cards is actually up by only two compared to 2015. But what has proven different about 2016 is the number of straight red cards that have been shown by MLS officials this year — eight more than last year (14 straight reds in 2016 vs. six in 2015). By comparison, there have been six fewer second yellow card situations, which also automatically result in a red.
“Referees are detecting the seriousness of the foul [in 2016],” Walton said.
"Will it change? I think it will change,” he said. “And what I think will change is that players already are beginning to modify some of their behavior. And that boils down to 'Do I lunge in for that ball or do I close down instead of running the risk of a red card and lunging in?’"
What is it about this year that referees are now punishing more plays with a straight red card? Eradicating serious foul play from the game has been one of PRO’s initiatives since the organization was created in 2012. But the advent of improved analytical tools and tracking devices to monitor referees’ positioning in 2015 has meant that referees are better informed and trained than ever before to identify these situations, propelling the initiative into a new phase in 2016.
"Last year the red cards that we missed or weren’t dealt with correctly, 84 percent [of the missed calls] was down to a positional issue with the official,” said Walton, who indicated that preseason training included specific positional work to address the issue.
Walton reiterated the point he made to reporters in a preseason media roundtable: The Laws of the Game haven’t changed, but what PRO officials are seeking is a more consistent application of those laws, one that, according to Walton, “will make the game entertaining because the skill players are being allowed to flourish.”
“I think that the protection of players, the protection of skillful players is the right way to go, and being strong and tough on plays that could endanger the safety of opponents,” Walton said.
The head of PRO admitted that of the 16 red cards shown this year, he believed “there are three that have a case [not to be reds].” But Walton is still asking his referees to stick with the plan outlined in the offseason and consistently apply the Laws when it comes to serious foul play.
"The referees will continue to call the game within law,” Walton stated. "If the players decide they’ll continue making such rash challenges, then we will still see the red cards being administered.
“What I feel will happen is that there will be a slight modification of behavior and we’ll see those red cards decreasing and at the end of the season we’ll be comparing like for like numbers [red cards year on year],” he continued. “I want 11 vs. 11 because that’s the game of soccer.”
