MANDEVILLE, Manchester — The Inter-Secondary Schools Sports Association (ISSA) has moved to clarify the ‘red card’ rule in their football competitions and starting this season, any player who gets a red card will miss the next ISSA-sanctioned game, regardless of the competition, says competitions chairman George Forbes.

At Wednesday’s daCosta Cup planning meeting held at Manchester High in Mandeville, Forbes described the rule that was used up to last season as “ambiguous” and open for misinterpretation.

The introduction of the Flow Cup Knockout had, for the most parts, caused some confusion, as it was unsure whether red cards in the traditional Manning Cup and daCosta Cup competitions could be carried over.

Rule Six in the ISSA schoolboys’ football handbook states that: “If a player gets a ‘red card’ he automatically misses the next match in the competition or extension of said competition. For the purposes of the rule Manning and Walker on the one hand and daCosta and Ben Francis on the other hand are regarded as one competition. Oliver Shield, however, is regarded as a separate competition.”

Forbes said, however, that to clear up any confusion or misinterpretation, any player that is shown a red card in any game, will automatically miss the next game regardless of the competition, as long as it is ISSA run and “could still face a disciplinary committee hearing as well”.

Meanwhile, teams will be allowed to have all 22 registered players on the bench at games and eligible to play, Forbes said, but included in the 11 players on the bench, two must be goalkeepers.

In keeping with new FIFA regulations that became effective on June 1 this year, players will be allowed to wear different coloured jerseys from their teammates in the event of an injury with blood on their jerseys.

The new FIFA rules allow for several variances, FIFA referee Kevin Morrison told the meeting. That includes the player changing the jersey for a second one with the same number on the back.

However, in the situation where it was unlikely most schools will be able to afford identical replacement shirts, FIFA will allow for the player to wear a jersey with no number on the back or a different colour shirt as long as it did not clash with the other team’s or that of the officials.

— Paul Reid