The Romanian Football Federation has introduced a new black card to help prevent abusive behavior from parents at youth-team matches.
In addition to the standard yellow and red cards, which determine disciplinary sanctions for individual players on the pitch, referees will have a black card they can use to permanently cancel the match if they “observe inappropriate behavior from spectators or parents”.
Officials said the move was designed to combat “bullying and pressure exerted by parents and spectators in the stands,” making it the first football federation to introduce such a measure.
I hate that this black card is required, but I love the idea and how it’s used.
If a black card and the threat of a forfeit can get overbearing, ignorant, and selfish parents to remember their role and place in this world, that would be fantastic.
While we’re making these black cards, I’d also love a black card for other instances in life:
- Anyone reading from a PowerPoint slide
- An emcee who introduces me as “a motivational speaker.”
- Parents who speak disrespectfully to teachers and administrators
- An Uber driver who begins telling me about his latest conspiracy theory
- People who do not have their credit card in hand when it comes time to pay
- Anyone taking a mulligan on a golf course
- Anyone referring to a mulligan as “a breakfast ball”
- People who produce audio of any kind from their phones without headphones
- Drivers unwilling to make a right on red when a sign forbids it but the coast is clear
- Steely Dan
- Privileged morons who benefit from institutional wealth who complain about social safety nets
- Any school administrator who does not work as hard as a teacher every damn day
- People who say, “Everything happens for a reason.”
- Parents who use religion in an attempt to dictate their children’s sexuality, marital partners, and politics
- Anyone who is dumb enough to say they are socially liberal but fiscally conservative.
- Sports fans who switch favorites based upon a player or the team’s success
