The Romanian Football Federation has officially introduced the "Black Card" system in youth competitions covering age groups U7 to U16 starting this season. When spectators or parents engage in abusive or other inappropriate behavior and persist after warnings and suspensions, the referee can issue a black card to permanently terminate the match. This measure aims to protect children from malicious pressure from the stands.

Football must always be a game, a joyful space for children and an environment for healthy development. The Romanian Football Federation is continuously advancing related work through its B.R.A.V.O. platform to combat one of the most heartbreaking issues in youth football: bullying and pressure from parents and spectators in the stands.

In 2024, the Romanian Football Federation made significant revisions to its Disciplinary Regulations to curb abusive behavior by coaches in Romanian football. Fines ranging from 10,000 to 20,000 lei were introduced, along with coaching license suspensions of 1 to 3 years. Subsequently, the Romanian Football Federation shifted its focus to the parents of young players.

The new red card for youth football: the Black Card

Starting this season, the Romanian Football Federation has introduced a new disciplinary procedure for youth competitions (U7 to U16 age groups), bringing an unprecedented element to football: the Black Card. This decision was adopted by the Emergency Committee of the Romanian Football Federation on September 11, 2023, and has been incorporated into the competition regulations for children and youth.

Through this measure, the Romanian Football Federation becomes the first football association in the world to introduce a penalty card specifically for inappropriate spectator behavior in the stands.

The Romanian Football Federation's message is clear: children should not be victims of the ambitions, pressure, or frustrations of adults in the stands.

The black card is a visual signal by which the referee definitively communicates that the match has been permanently terminated due to inappropriate behavior by spectators or parents. Abusive behavior not only disrupts the match but can also directly impact the children and the entire team.

Three-step procedure for handling abusive behavior

This new procedure can be initiated when the referee observes inappropriate behavior from spectators or parents, or when such behavior is reported by the fourth official (if present) or other match officials.

In such cases, the referee will take the following measures in sequence:

Step 1 – Warning. The referee temporarily suspends the match and asks the coach to directly address their fans or parents to ensure the offending behavior stops immediately. In venues with public address systems, an announcement will also be made to the spectators.

Step 2 – 10-minute match suspension. If the offending behavior continues, the referee will suspend the match for 10 minutes and have the teams return to their dressing rooms. During this time, the coaches will again attempt to stop the excessive behavior from the spectators.

Step 3 – Issue a black card and permanently terminate the match. If, after play resumes, the abusive behavior continues, the referee will blow the final whistle. The match is permanently terminated and cannot be resumed.

In this final scenario, the referee will show a black card, visually marking the decision to permanently terminate the match.

This is effectively a signal that a line has been crossed. When corrective measures fail to stop the abusive behavior and the match cannot continue, the referee will issue a black card to formally and clearly indicate the end of the match.

Situations for applying the new disciplinary procedure

The new procedure addresses inappropriate behavior by parents and spectators toward children, staff of both teams, referees, match officials, or other parents and spectators. The following behaviors are included, but this list is not exhaustive:

A complete list of behaviors covered by the new procedure can be found in the updated Disciplinary Regulations of the Romanian Football Federation.

All 130 youth academies registered in the academy rating system have received materials from the Romanian Football Federation, including banners, posters with spectator conduct guidelines for parents, and flyers explaining the steps of the three-step procedure.

The B.R.A.V.O. platform continues its mission

This new measure is part of the Romanian Football Federation's broader efforts to transform youth football into a safer and healthier environment for children. The B.R.A.V.O. platform – an acronym for Joy, Respect, Care, Will, and Optimism – is a flagship project aimed at addressing issues of pressure, bullying, and lack of support that children may face in sports.

The platform's first campaign, "The Locker Room of the Unwanted Generation," focused on the negative words and labels children hear on the sidelines and how these affect their sports experience. The campaign transformed the locker room into a symbolic space for this issue, where children's jerseys bore not their names but the negative labels they heard from parents and spectators. Additionally, each children's or youth group at every football school must have a "parent captain" who must complete protection courses and is responsible for supervising and managing parental behavior within that group.

Subsequently, the Romanian Football Federation implemented "Silent Days" in U13 and U14 competitions, where match results were not counted. Twice a year, parents and coaches are not allowed to make any noise. The purpose of "Silent Days" is to provide children with a pressure-free environment to enjoy the game, make their own decisions, and express themselves freely, without constant judgment from the stands or sidelines.

Through various measures written into the regulations, the Romanian Football Federation continues to advance this mission, moving from the awareness-raising stage to the action stage: when adults cross the line, the children's game stops.

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