Viewing areas count as field of play?

[UKColt]

This isn't something that actually happened, but more a hypothetical situation that could have arisen that I'm curious for your take on.

A game I had a few weeks ago was a bit feisty, and there was a minor confrontation between a player from team A and the manager of team B. The player wanted the ball back quickly, the manager held it a bit longer than he should have, so the player snatched it. I spoke to both of them and there was nothing else for the rest of the game.

Now, the ground in question has a clubhouse & bar with a viewing area for spectators that is directly above the touchline, about 10 feet in the air. It is easily close enough that a manager there could have continued to communicate with his players, direct substitutions, offer coaching advice. For all intents and purposes he would still be able to do everything he could do on the sideline, just from a slightly higher vantage point.

So, in the scenario where I did have to remove him, do you think it's reasonable to include a viewing area of that type as 'immediate surrounds' as defined in law? It isn't something I considered until after the game, but I suspect I'd have insisted he had to go into the changing rooms, but interested in others views?

 

[Yampy]

My supply league handbook states:-
"Where a member of the non-playing staff has to be removed from the Technical Area for misconduct, he/she is required to leave the Technical Area and the vicinity of the field of play, forthwith. The removed person shall go to the Dressing Rooms or leave the ground. No further contact direct or indirect, between the removed Official and the Match Officials will be permitted during or after the game"
That sounds like good advice to me in any league.
It's more "rules of the competition" or "code of conduct" than laws of the game but they compliment each other and as a guideline I think it works for the majority of pitchside scenarios. In your case, I wouldn't allow him to go to the viewing area.
In theory, no manager or coach should be allowed up to such an area at anytime to give tactical instructions. That's what the technical area is for. A coach may view from there or make notes but he can't give instruction to the players until HT/FT.

 

[GraemeS]

Yeah, I agree with @Yampy - if he's in a position where he's capable of committing acts of clear dissent or OFFINABUS towards you, you're asking for trouble.

If you send him up there, you've deployed the second strongest sanction you can towards him and he's still in a position to interfere. If he then does so, you're either reduced to just ignoring him, which will damage your match control, or escalating further and abandoning, which might seem excessive and get you in trouble with your league/CFA.

 

[Ganajin]

Our leagues pretty much insist a dismissed person goes at least 30 metres away from touchline. If they refuse and claim their right (as a spectator) to stand and watch from closer, you give them a warning, and if that is ignored then you simply abandon the game.

 

[A Freethinker]

I tell them to remove themselves far enough away that I can't hear them nor can they influence the game. They usually go home or to the changing rooms although have had an occasion where one guy walked about 250 metres away from the pitch and started yelling at the top of his voice. I just laughed as everyone else in the area was listening to this fool make an even bigger fool of himself

 

[RustyRef]

Competition rules apply, but generally at grass roots it is to somewhere not in viewing distance of the pitch. Obviously different in a stadium though.