The issue of referees
not recording cautions
or ejections is a long
running one. The reason
most often reported when
the situation comes to
the attention of the
leagues is “After
reflecting on the
situation, I wanted to
give the team a break”.
Usually this has the
exact opposite affect.
What actually happened
on the field is what the
players, coaches, and
teams are held to. Not
recording a disciplinary
action puts the team in
jeopardy of not staying
in compliance with the
rules since they are
required to comply with
what happened on the
field.
According to FIFA the
“Competition Authority”
is the body that is to
determine the validity
of the cards shown in a
game. Within STYSA,
only the STYSA Appeals
Committee can rescind or
change a card shown on
the field. FIFA language
requires an immediate
decision by the
Competition Authority in
the event of an obvious
referee error.
Two USSF 'Position
Papers' on this subject
are attached, as well as
a link to the area on
the US Soccer web site
where the papers (and
others) are posted:
U.S. Soccer:
http://www.ussoccer.com/laws/papers.jsp.html
