They need to focus on getting decision right.
Kersey and King failed to red card Davilla for kicking Margush whoch resulted in a a concussion
Kersey and King failed to red card Germain for direct and off the ball contact with Beadlimg's groin.
Failed to ref card Grimaldi for taking out out Brook in the same manner as Simmon's tackle in Hobart.
Don't remember the referee, but Nicolau racked the front of a player's shin and thevreferee/VAR took NO action.

All those years ago, Markus Babbel called the Ben Wilson Referee Cabal for not seeing the the obvious. After returning to Germany he was  on television and called out Australian referees and being inept and biased. 

We now have the non-footballing Director of Referees Nathan McGill running the same Cabal. 

How fix this is bring in overseas referees who have no bias and have grown in the Australian Football Referees Cabal groupthink.
We have 1 referee like that who left his country for non-footballing reasons and he 4 claaes above Kersey and King

APL falling apart since Townsend Left

 The abuse and the ridiculous conspiracy theories like this are exactly why the FA have had to make a public statement. So many refs walk away from the game each year because of this.

Want better referees? Create an environment where they feel safe and protected and you’ll have more people refereeing, which grows the talent pool.

On the pitch, I always combat the low-level abuse (because that's where it starts) by being a smart-arse back to them. Players, or fans, I've done it both ways.

"Lino looks like he's had a few too many Krispy Kremes"
Sorry, leave me some more donuts on halfway next time.

"What the f*** are you doing lino, call the offside straight away, don't wait!"
Oh, your U14s game starts on the next field just after the half time break and they don't have a referee. I'll let them know you're available at half time, thanks!

"Shocking decision ref!"
(5 minutes later, same player decides to take a shot at goal and wildly misses, with another player open through on the edge of the box)
And I thought I made shocking decisions...

Blokes all over facebook using this announcement as an opportunity to air grievances about refs dudding their clubs.

Morons.

Completely missing the point that they're losing 40% of refs every year and the article is nothing to do with the A league.

Wow you’re boring and annoying. 

So it’s good for referees, but not for players? Nice, got it.

Talking to mates yesterday someone pointed out that adding another card to the game is no different than VAR being introduced or the back pass rule or even the fact that yellow and red cards have only been around since 1970... we will adapt and survive.

I also agree with the reasoning around the fact that it seems to be introducing a new method to solve a problem that can be solved using existing facilities..

Something HAS to be done about blatant referee abuse, 100% agree but why not make it clear that ANY dissent of a decision will be punished by a yellow card immediately and try that first before over-reacting with another rule change??? Only the Captain should have the right to speak to the ref about a perceived injustice... If the refs start throwing yellows around in the top leagues for players harassing them the behaviours will surely change???? wont it?

Plenty of people blowing up about blue cards but they've been in place in the Brisbane masters comp for decades and they work just fine. (I played in that comp for nearly 10 years.)

(Page 3 and 4 of this. http://www.brisbanesoccerreferees.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/QMF-Rules-of-Competition-2023.pdf)

There are no yellows though. 2 blues equal a red same as yellows. The thing is every blue card means a 10 minute sin bin. Players can be subbed though which is different from what they're proposing.

To protect old blokes a blue card is also issued for any attempted or actual slide tackle. (Which is also a good rule.)

I realise masters football is not 'normal' football. I'm unsure whether a blue card is a good idea in other comps. I can see the benefit but then I think yellows dished out liberally for dissent would work too.

Saw an article saying if a GK is blue carded they have to be replaced by a GK off the bench or a player on the field. Will cause chaos. But then again it might shut up mouthy keepers.

Whatever they choose to do, it will be "normalised" over the course of time is my point..... I still think having a sin bin would lead to boring unattractive football as managers just "shut up shop" for ten minutes but will wait to see what pans out.. Im not in the "OMFG the sky is falling" camp just yet. :)

This get trialled and dumped pretty quickly sometimes, remember the golden (silver) goal rules for example? 

Another rule that was "slipped in" because of covid and has stayed is the 5 subs over 3 windows  .... Not convinced we still need it and in fact I believe that it just rewards clubs with deep pockets and thus a deeper squad whilst penalising the "have nots"  Like Robbo alluded to in the past Liverpool and Man City for example can sub out half a squad at once to manage player fatigue without really changing tactics or approach... wtf can poor Luton do?

Completely agree. I think they've taken the stamina part of the game out when you can change virtually half the team.

Teams should be rewarded for having the fitter athletes. 

Cautioning and Sending off has always existed

It was only the 'showing of it' to everyone at the game that was created in 1970

Sin-binning is a possible law change being tested, regardless of card waving

True. But on other hand it allows more bench players to get their first minutes in more games which is better for up and coming players 

They've also been rewarded with 10 minutes Extra-time

yep agree and were talking here about top level comps that these pros play 3 games each week in many case's.
I get it for this level having 5subs be it PSG LFC City to Luton game wise,
MSC the trouble for the smaller clubs is far more than sub numbers, thats for a separate thread on admins running the game and tighter caps being abused so it can be a closer playing field.

As for this blue card can't see the point, what is our game rugby's ? and do we like to see team down to 10, bad enough and deserved when a Red but come on.
As we know most games turn to poop when down a player its not for great viewing generally, especially if its a critical one.

Here's a suggestion.
Pro levels ala APL, introducing player fines to yellow cards ?
Hit them at the hip pocket but a solid amount not $100 for eg, $2K+ - it needs to be substantial.
Sure there might be inter Club penalties layed out to players (I'm not sure if anyone knows)
Reduce the 5 yellow amassed rule missing 1 game down to 3 games.
Make a statement and pressure on players And the Club in doing the right thing and the Club also issues a fine on top of the APL talking this subject.

Any merit or am I talking crap :)

If Big 5 league, fine the overpaid clowns their entire match fee for dissent instead of blue/orange card 😉

No need for sin bins, I think it just destroys the fabric of the game. With dissent, the referees just need to apply the laws of the game, which essentially say you must receive a yellow card for dissent. Once the players realise there is zero tolerance and more yellow cards, and especially red cards (for second yellows) occur, then the situation will resolve itself.

Regarding so-called professional fouls though, I have long been of the opinion that they should be punished with an immediate red card. They are a blight on the game. Again, once players get used to the consequence of a red card for a professional foul, you will see the incidence of professional fouls plummet. This is similar to what happened a few years ago with the introduction of mandatory red cards for DOGSO.

Hahaha. Probably fair. I'd imagine you'd think this should have been a red?   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx0hJcPAv7I

Blatant cheating.

I agree with your first paragraph entirely.

For the second, I think a yellow is perfect for the professional foul with two observations:
- Yellow cards have to be administered for all professional fouls and yellow card worthy incidents. No need to give a warning for a professional foul. The player does it knowing they will get a card and their next 'mistake' will cost their team a player. As teams build their team foul count that earlier yellow could also see a send off for repeated team infringements in what might otherwise be a fairly innocuous foul. Won't take long for players and coaches to realise that a professional foul is not a 'go to' activity and has potentially critical repercussions.
- A professional foul that is dangerous or can be called physical assault is a red. The choking, back breaker in Muz's post is a fine example of a professional foul gone too far - as are the rugby tackles/throws sometimes administered can cause injury as much for their unexpectedness as the action itself.

Yep,

Serious Foul Play if you judge he was challenging

Violent Conduct if you judge he wasn't challenging

I'm assuming the ref saw that as a holding (shirt pull) foul and because he was so far from goal (and there was cover in the middle) he's deemed that a SPA and not a DOGSO. 

In which case that's a YC and can't be a RC.

I'm not agreeing and I'm not disagreeing. That's my thought process of what he was thinking.

Had he grabbed the shirt at the bottom would you have sent him off? Probably not. Does where you grab the shirt matter? That is interesting.

My issue with the top leagues is that get away with it week in, week out. Particularly mobbing the ref and dissent.

And of course that trickles down to grassroots where gumbies like me are.

I would say most professional fouls are already carded though. Pretty much any SPA (Stopping a Promising Attack) is carded already. I see dissent and mobbing the ref as more of an issue.

What is SPA ?  Edit : Found it

Liney signals to the Ref 'yellow' by tapping the breast pocket

SPA is Stopping a Promising Attack.

The AR can tap his pocket to indicate to the Centre that, in his opinion, that's a card. (That's what we do even at gumby level. Surprising he did it because they're usually miked up.) The ref can then decide to take his advice or not.

Watching so many aleagues games (and obviously concentrating on the Roar) I don't think they are being carded. All the transitions that cop trips and shirt pulls back in the attacking team's defensive third get free kicks without a card. You almost have to grapple them and drop them to the turf to get a card deep in your own third yet it is the epitome of professional fouls and unsportsmanlike behaviour.

I tend to ignore SPA (Stop a Promising Attack numkl...) as a critical determining factor and just go with outright cheating being unsportsmanlike. When any professional foul is not carded because it is deep in the attacking team's half and not a promising attack YET just builds frustration in the victim's team and we all know where that leads.

Refs do not like to issue cards early in games unless they are quite physical/brutal incidents and players know it - and yet to issue them from the start would quickly stop the behaviour. Who cares if several games are less entertaining while players and coaches figure out it is a failing tactic.

Yep, absolutely, classic example of it.

In my world, any non-football challenge that stops a player (shirt pull, deliberate trip with no intention or hope of playing the ball, rugby tackle, etc) should be a red card. Anywhere and everywhere on the pitch. It might take a few games (or more than a few for those players out there who have had this behaviour ingrained into them for years, e.g., Giorgio Chiellini), but eventually they will all adapt to it and the game will be so much the better for it.

From a refs perspective...

I watch the game and I am largely focussed on the ball player and my team's interaction with the ball. I see 'every' professional foul clearly with my fan vision - all the deliberate trips, pulls and impedances - and I expect the ref to be seeing the same.

What I do not take into account is how much more the ref has to focus on at the same time that I am watching the ball runner.

Is it likely that I see things with my 100% infallible supporter vision that really do happen, but are not as obvious and therefore not so clear in terms of punishment for the ref in the middle of it?

I suspect that is where a lot of my opinion on cards not awarded may differ from the game ref.