Where general behaviour of participants is improper, or where participants do not act in the best interests of the game, it is normally referred to as “Misconduct”.  Misconduct is outlined under Rule E of The Football Association.

This covers all behaviour and could include, for example, swearing or abusive behaviour.  

We know that the behaviour of some participants can have a negative impact on the enjoyment of the game by others, and we have heard from the grassroots game that we must focus on tackling poor behaviour.  We have also heard that more must be done to address repeat offenders. We all have a collective responsibility to tackle poor behaviour and The FA, County FAs and Leagues will support positive behaviour initiatives across the game. However, part of this is about having tougher sanctions, that act as a deterrent and ensure those who have proven misconduct charges against them are dealt with appropriately.

Some of the steps being taken to tackle misconduct include:

Details of all sanction ranges can be found in the Grassroots Discipline Guide, available here.

If you’d like to find out more about the FA Rules detailing Misconduct, you can click here to be taken to the online FA handbook.