The FA have released a brief overview of the key regulation amendments for 2018/19 season for all Clubs operating at Step 5 and below.

From temporary dismissals and discipline commissions to sanctions and changes to referee reporting, you can find all you need to know ahead of the new season by downloading the document at the bottom of this article.

If you want to find out more about each of the regulation amendments, please refer to The FA Handbook.

Referee Reporting

Following the introduction of the match based disciplinary system many seasons ago; clubs are only permitted to challenge a dismissal on the basis of a wrongful dismissal.

Currently Referees across the game at all levels when dismissing a player from the field of play are required to write a detailed report of the offence when reporting the dismissal.

The requirement to report the detail of the dismissal is not necessary for the Wrongful Dismissal process that now applies at all levels of the game and has in fact contributed to confusion as to the purpose of the Wrongful Dismissal process.

The ability to claim a Wrongful Dismissal applies where a Club can demonstrate that the decision to send off a player for the offence committed was obviously wrong.

It has therefore been agreed to amend the reporting process with effect from the start of the 2018/19 season to operate the same as reporting yellow card offences where a specific description of the send-off offence is not required. This change will apply at all levels of the game.

Therefore the referee is only required to report the red card offences as laid out in the laws of the game as follows:

• S1. Serious Foul Play
• S2. Violent Conduct
• S3. Spits at an Opponent or any other person
• S4. Denying the opposing player an obvious goal scoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball
• S5. Denies the opposing player an obvious goal scoring opportunity by an offence punishable by a free kick or penalty kick
• S6. Uses Offensive, insulting or abusive language
• S7. Receives a second caution in the same match (This offence also requires the referee to report the caution offence for each caution)

Offences of S2 – Violent conduct will be categorised further with the following categories:

• S2 – Violent Conduct - Head to Head contact
• S2 – Violent Conduct - Elbowing
• S2 – Violent Conduct - Kicking
• S2 – Violent Conduct - Stamping
• S2 – Violent Conduct – Striking
• S2 – Violent Conduct – Biting
• S2 – Violent Conduct – Other Unspecified Behaviour*

(*A free text field to capture other Unspecified Behaviour will be available if this option is selected).

Extraordinary Reports

Referees will still be required to write details surrounding extraordinary incidents in the following circumstances.

a. Where the dismissal offence has a more serious impact than the dismissal itself, the referee will be required to submit the dismissal offence as normal and then add a supplementary extraordinary report clarifying why the dismissal was exceptional. Such examples would be where the offence committed included an aggravated breach such as discriminatory language or behaviour (homophobic, sexist or reference to race/colour/religion/ethnicity etc.) or here there was a serious injury caused by the act of violent conduct.

b. Where further misconduct happened following the dismissal such as the player refusing to leave the field of play or committed other further acts of misconduct following the dismissal.

c. Where the offences committed were by non-playing staff or spectators.

d. All other extra-ordinary incidents.

To read the rest of the amendments, please download the document below.