Only Captains Will Be Allowed to Communicate with Referees at EURO 2024

UEFA has announced implementing a new rule, starting with the Euros: only the captains of the playing teams will have the right to engage in dialogue with the referees, and any other players who enter into discussions will be penalized with warnings.

Advantages of This Decision

Confrontations with referees by a crowd of players often lead to unnecessary yellow cards and subsequent suspensions. Therefore, if only the captain (unlikely to be a hot-tempered or confrontational player) handles this, the conversations will become less emotional and more constructive. Remember how calmly and businesslike Carles Puyol communicated with referees? The new rule will undoubtedly expand the list of players whose captaincy will be held up as an example, just like the Spaniard.

Disadvantages of This Decision

The captain might often miss an incident, making his conversation with the referee ineffective. Moreover, if the captain of one team was involved in the incident and the other was not, the latter would be disadvantaged in discussions with the referee due to a lack of knowledge about the situation. It's especially problematic for goalkeepers — if the goalkeeper is the captain, he would have to pass the armband to a field player so someone can talk to the referee on the other half. Who needs this and why is unclear.

Published by Patrick Jane
17.05.2024