Recently, the Mexican Football Federation has unveiled its new sanctions code for the 2024-25 season, detailing several penalties for disrespectful conduct towards referees.
The specific sanctions are as follows:
1) Players, members of technical staff, and/or officials who disparage the match through communication and/or social networks with criticism or negative comments about the referee and/or VAR will be fined between $6,000 and $12,000 and/or suspended for one game.
2) Players, members of technical staff, and/or officials who disparage the match through communication and/or social networks with criticism or negative comments about the disciplinary proceedings initiated by the Disciplinary Committee, which are ongoing and have unresolved incidents, will be fined between $2,000 and $12,000 and/or suspended for one game.
3) Failure to comply with resolutions made by the Disciplinary Committee will result in a fine between $1,000 and $8,000 and/or suspension for 1 to 3 games.
4) More than three individuals (players, members of the technical staff, officials, or employees of the same club) challenging any member of the match officials (referee or commissioner) with a certain degree of hostility will receive a warning or a fine between $2,000 and $6,000. The Disciplinary Committee will impose sanctions on the club ex officio.
In cases where teams and players are dissatisfied with key events during a match, they may file a complaint, following these procedures:
1) Upon request by the parties involved, any clear error committed by the referee in disciplinary decisions can be corrected.
For the purposes of this rule, a clear error by the referee is one that results in an expulsion due to a mistake, misidentifying the player, or making a clearly severe decision, including those related to direct and/or indirect red card dismissals.
Similarly, the Disciplinary Committee can correct significant calculation errors at any time. Clear errors made by the referee that could harm the interests of the club must be reported to the Disciplinary Committee, along with a complaint regarding the clear error and reliable evidence to substantiate the error.
During the regular phase, clubs can submit their own observations after submitting the arbitration report, and they should do so before 1:00 PM on the day following the match. If the deadline falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the club will have until 1:00 PM on Monday.
Video recordings can serve as a valid means of evidence to determine if the referee’s decision was clearly erroneous.
Clubs that report clear errors to the Disciplinary Committee under this regulation may appeal to the Appeals Committee.
