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The black card being brandished will be the final part of a three-step process. In the first instance, the referee will temporarily suspend the match and ask coaches to speak directly to its team’s supporters and parents, while an announcement will also be communicated to supporters should a public address system be available.Should the behaviour continue, the referee will suspend the match for 10 minutes and send the teams off the pitch to their dressing room while once again asking coaches to attempt to de-escalate the behaviour of those in the stands.The FRF then detail the process behind using the black card as the final step: “If abusive behaviour persists after play resumes, the referee blows the final whistle. The match is permanently abandoned and cannot be resumed.”The new procedure is designed to prevent abuse aimed at young footballers, coaching staff members, referees, match officials, or other parents and spectators present.This behaviour encompasses verbal abuse or physical assault, with the FRF distributing a kit containing a banner, posters with rules of conduct for parents, and flyers explaining the 3-step procedure to all 130 Romanian academies within its remit.

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The Romanian Football Federation has implemented a new disciplinary measure, the introduction of a black card, designed to combat abusive behavior from parents and spectators during youth team matches. This innovation serves as an addition to the standard yellow and red cards, which traditionally address disciplinary sanctions for individual players on the field. The primary objective of this measure is to mitigate the bullying and pressure exerted by parents and spectators in the stands, marking the first measure of its kind introduced by a football federation.

The process for utilizing the black card is structured in a three-step escalation procedure aimed at de-escalation and, ultimately, the termination of the match if abuse persists. Initially, when inappropriate behavior is observed, the referee will temporarily suspend the match and instruct the coaches to engage directly with their team’s supporters and parents. If a public address system is available, an announcement will also be communicated to the spectators. If the abusive behavior continues after this initial intervention, the referee will suspend the match for ten minutes and remove the teams from the pitch to their dressing rooms, with the coaches again tasked with attempting to de-escalate the situation in the stands. The final and most severe step is enacted if abusive behavior continues even after play resumes; in this instance, the referee blows the final whistle, permanently abandoning the match and preventing any resumption.

This new protocol is specifically designed to protect young footballers, coaching staff members, referees, match officials, and other parents and spectators from verbal abuse or physical assault. To facilitate the understanding and implementation of this procedure, the Football Federation distributed a comprehensive kit to all 130 Romanian academies. This kit included materials such as a banner, posters detailing rules of conduct for parents, and flyers explaining the detailed three-step procedure.