Here’s how the protest process works in ASL for the summer season. If you wish to have action taken because you believe you have unfairly been booked for misconduct, this is the process you follow. You’re free to call and complain or e-mail and complain. However, filing a protest and appearing before the League Executive Committee is the only way you get action taken.
Protests involving red and yellow cards will be due no later than the close of business on third day following the game in which the card is issued. The hearing will be held within the next week. If you or your team is not represented at the hearing, you lose. You no longer get to keep playing until it’s convenient for you to make the hearing. Your team representative or anyone else can represent you at the hearing.
We will report on the results of the hearings on the web page, including the protest, the basis for its being filed, and the basis for its being overturned if that is the results. In addition, we will notify the team representative from the opposing team that is involved in the protest. We have discovered that in many protests that the opposing team had a significantly different version of events than the person filing the protest, but was unaware that the card was being protested. We will also notify the referee of the game involved that his card is being protested. The referee is then entitled to submit any supplemental in-formation related to the incident in time for the hearing.
The protests fee is $ 25. You still get your money back if your protest is upheld. YOU PAY THE $25 WHEN YOU FILE THE APPEAL, NOT AFTER THE DECISION. NO PAY, NO APPEAL. To file a protest you complete the protest form and have it at the ASL office by close of business within three days of the game in which the card is issued. You do not have to file your protest yourself. Anyone can come in and file your protest. However, it does need to be complete, paid for, and in our hands by the close of business on the third day following the card.
We have encouraged the referees to follow USSF rules and properly report referee abuse incidents. Those are any case in which a player or team manager curses at, threatens or otherwise directs foul or abusive language at the referee. Those events are under the jurisdiction of the New Mexico State Soccer Association, who will be dealing quickly with any of those reports. The protocol required of the United States Soccer Federation in both referee abuse and referee assault calls for the referee to report the incident within 24 hours to both the state association president and the state referee administrator. Referee abuse calls for a minimum three game suspensions and $50 fine. That suspension is automatic. We will forward a letter advising you of the suspension and you can request a hearing on the report. In the alternative,you can invest $ 300 and appeal the action to the USSF. NMSSA rules also provide that NMSSA can require a player to post a bond to continue playing and that the player can be fined for conduct.
