Image aspects
"UEFA continues to work with
Europe's top referees and assistants, in particular focusing on
certain aspects which are harming the image of the modern game,"
said the European body in a statement.
Illegal use of
arms
"Referees recognised that there
is an increasing tendency for the illegal use of arms in the
penalty area, particularly prior to the taking of corners and
free-kicks, and that this should be carefully controlled and the
appropriate action be taken in the case of infringements.
Continue to be
proactive
"Referees have been instructed to
continue to be proactive prior to the ball being in play, by
initially giving a verbal warning to players who are using their
arms illegally to hold, push, jostle for position etc. Further
infringement, after the initial preventive action of the referee
and before the ball is in play, should be punished by a
disciplinary sanction [yellow or red card].
Deal firmly
"Moreover, referees agreed that
once the ball is in play, their level of tolerance should not
change and they should deal firmly with continued holding,
pushing etc by awarding a free-kick or a penalty depending upon
which team commits the initial offence."
Positive reaction
UEFA Referees' Committee
chairman, Angel Mar�a Villar Llona, offered a positive reaction
to the instructions given to the match officials in Nyon. "The
penalty area is not a wrestling ring and shirt-pulling is not
part of football, so as chairman of the UEFA Referees' Committee
I will support the referees who have the courage to punish
holding and pushing in the penalty area," he said.
Injuries and
treatment
In addition, in many countries,
when a player is injured and in apparent need of treatment his
team, or in some cases the opposing team, kick the ball out of
play to allow the injured player to receive treatment. The
customary unwritten practice is that on restarting play, the
ball is returned to the team who put the ball out of play.
Association
recommendations
"UEFA has noted that some of its
member associations have recommended in their domestic leagues
that this practice be stopped," the European body said, "and
that the players should leave it to the referee to decide
whether a player's injury is serious enough to stop the play in
order to allow him/her to receive treatment.
Leave it to the
referee
"Clearly, when clubs from
different member associations, observing different practices,
meet in UEFA competitions confusion can sometimes arise. To
prevent any potential confusion, UEFA has therefore recommended
that players leave it to the referee to deal with such
situations within the Laws of the Game.
Law 5
"Therefore, UEFA has reminded its
referees that under Law 5 of the Laws of the Game, 'The Referee
stops the match if, in his opinion, a player is seriously
injured and ensures that he is removed from the field of play.
An injured player may only return to the field of play after the
match has restarted.'
Don't expect
"Consequently, when an injured player's team has put the ball
out of play," UEFA concluded, "they should not expect the ball
to be returned to them."