PRO identifies two areas for officials to review during 2015

The Professional Referee Organization will focus on dissent and persistent infringement as areas for reviewing during the 2015 season.

As well as looking at many other areas of the game, these were the two main topics that were discussed at the recent preseason camp in Pasadena, California.

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PRO is committed to reduce examples of dissent on the pitch – a cautionable offense as listed in the FIFA Laws of the Game. Law 12 – Fouls and Misconduct – states that a player, whether they are on the field of play, a substitute or have been substituted, can be ‘cautioned for dissent by word or action’.

Another yellow-card offense as highlighted by Law 12 is ‘persistent infringement of the Laws of the Game’, and this will be the other area for PRO officials to implement over the coming months.

Minimal fouls that are isolated are often suitably dealt with by the awarding of the free-kick, but in cases where these fouls are committed frequently, a yellow card is deemed a suitable punishment to the player.

PRO General Manager Peter Walton told proreferees.com: “These two areas are ones that we highlighted to our officials and reminded them of their duties within the law.

“We will continue our focus on holding and pushing in the penalty area at the taking of free-kicks and corner kicks and also enforce sanctions on time-wasting tactics that are sometimes employed during games.”

During 2014, the main initiatives for PRO were to make the games flow better and looking at the holding, shoving, pushing and blocking that happens in the penalty area.