Cough at an opponent or referee and you’ll be sent off, says England’s FA

Referees should send players off if they deliberately cough at an opponent or match official, new Football Association guidance states.

Atletico Madrid's Diego Costa was condemned for coughing at the media

Referees should send players off if they deliberately cough at an opponent or match official, new Football Association guidance states.

The governing body of football in England has produced a document providing guidance, which comes into force immediately, for match officials taking charge of games when COVID-19 restrictions are in place.

The rules, which will apply to all levels of the game, state if there is a “clear act” of coughing towards someone, disciplinary action should be taken in the form of a red card. Referees will not be responsible for policing social distancing during goal celebrations and will not be able to punish players for spitting.

The guidance puts deliberate coughing on a similar level to punching and both would not only lead to a red card if they happened on the pitch, but also potential police action afterwards. The FA’s document for referees states: “Where the referee is certain that someone deliberately, and from close range, coughed into the face of an opponent or match official … the referee should take action under the law 12, ‘using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures’.”

In March, Atletico Madrid condemned their striker Diego Costa after he coughed towards members of the media as an apparent prank after his side’s Champions League win over Liverpool at Anfield.

Referees who are not part of the COVID-19 testing program must take their temperature at home within five hours of the match starting; have their fees paid into a bank account; travel to games separately; and not handle the match ball before kick-off. Assistant referees must wear face masks when checking players’ boots and shin pads.

The Times