The Romanian Football Federation has introduced a black card in youth football, marking its first appearance in European football, as a disciplinary measure aimed at addressing inappropriate behaviour by parents and spectators.
The federation said in a statement that the new regulation is intended to penalise abusive and improper conduct during youth matches and to protect children from the pressure and mistreatment they can face from the stands, according to the Catalan newspaper Sport.
The move represents a significant development in youth football. The federation said: “Football must remain a game, a source of joy and healthy development for children. Through the BRAVO platform, the Romanian federation is committed to tackling one of the most distressing issues in youth football: the harassment and pressure imposed by parents and spectators from the stanstands.
The federation clarified that its emergency committee sanctioned the new regulation “on 11 September” and that it is “integrated into the system for children’s and youth competitions.”
The new disciplinary measure applies to age groups ranging from 7 to 16 years and is based on the principle that “children should not be subjected to the ambitions, pressures, or frustrations of adults in the stands.”
Importantly, the black card signifies the definitive cessation of a match. The federation explained: “The black card serves as the visual indication by which the referee communicates, without any ambiguity, that the match has been definitively halted due to improper conduct by spectators or parents. Abusive behaviour not only disrupts the match but can also have direct repercussions on the children and the entire team.”
The referee is responsible for determining whether the conduct of parents and spectators is inappropriate for a youth match, with the support of the fourth official, if available, or any other match official.
The process leading to the issuance of a black card involves several stages. It begins with an initial warning and may escalate to a temporary suspension of the match for 10 minutes.
When the referee identifies inappropriate conduct, he initially asks the coaches to address the audience and issues a warning through the loudspeaker. If the misconduct persists, he temporarily stops the match and directs both teams to their changing rooms.
If the misconduct recurs after the match resumes, a black card is issued following the third warning. The established protocol states: “If the abusive behaviour continues after play resumes, the referee blows the whistle to conclude the match. The match is permanently halted and cannot be resumed.”
The federation further stated: “The referee displays the black card as a visual indication of the decision to permanently halt the match. It signifies that the threshold has been surpassed. If the corrective actions do not succeed in curbing the abusive behaviour, the match cannot proceed, and the referee displays the black card to officially and visibly conclude the match.”
The regulation targets several types of behaviour, including verbal abuse such as insults and reprimands, as well as physical actions such as hitting or pushing children. It also covers insulting, hitting or pushing members of a team’s technical staff.
The penalties also cover insulting, hitting or pushing players from the opposing team or their technical staff, persistent challenges or insults, hitting or pushing referees and match officials, as well as verbal or physical altercations with other parents or spectators.
