By Oliver Trust
BERLIN, July 26 (Xinhua) -- The yellow card for football coaches is the most significant rule change ahead of the 2019/2020 season of the German Bundesliga.
So far only players could be booked by the referee. From now on, coaches and any other staff member such as officials, physiotherapists, team docs and assistant coaches, sitting on the team bench, are in danger of a booking when offending rules.
In contrast to players, coaches are going to be banned for one game after only three yellow cards. Players need five yellow cards to be excluded for one match.
Massive protesting, leaving the coaching zone, respectless gesturing against the referee and his assistants are regarded as violating the rules. Throwing or kicking water-bottles or any other items and demanding the use of the video-assistant are on the sanction list too.
The new rule is expected to help referees controlling the game, ease tensions, and reduce emotional outbursts aside of the pitch. So far coaches could only be sent off the bench having to leave the inner space of the arena.
Until now, warnings were expressed verbally. Only in rare cases coach were sent off the pitch and had to take place on the stage.
The German referee Kurt Tschenscher used the first yellow card in the history of football in the 1970 World Cup opener of host Mexico against the Soviet Union (0-0).
In advance of the tournament, FIFA decided to make booking "visible" for spectators, players, and coaches. Until then, bookings were communicated orally. In many cases, neither players nor coaches noticed the referee's decision not to speak of the spectators.
The first card though was far from perfect as only one side was colored in yellow, which meant only half of the arena and some players could see if it was yellow or red.
Reports speak about the English referee Ken Aston as the source of the visible booking after a chaotic 1966 World Cup in England when several players pretended not to have noticed a booking or refused to leave the pitch.
Aston said the idea came to his mind when waiting in front of traffic lights in a car.
The so-called yellow-red card was invented in 1991 as an additional tool for referees when a booked player is committing a second rule offense that has to be sanctioned with a yellow card. The player has to leave the game and is banned for one game.
