Tournament Communication Number 25 - FINA regulations for disciplinary actions

Dear manager and coach,
please read in carefully and explain the relevant parts to your players.

APPENDIX C
REGULATIONS FOR DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS IN WATER POLO

PREAMBLE:

These Regulations contain basic regulations for fair play, ethical and moral behaviour, and general discipline in Water Polo.

These Regulations include measures related to incidents involving teams, water polo Federations, water polo sections of Member Federations, players, team leaders and officials, supporters, spectators but also involving officials or any other persons present at water polo matches.

The Regulations shall be in force from 1 August 2001 and replace the Code adopted by the FINA Bureau on 28th March 2001.

The purpose of these Regulations are to guarantee that the sport of Water Polo will be played in a fair manner without disturbance and to sanction incidents, which damage the image of Water Polo or bring it into disrepute.

Article 1. SUBORDINATE AND SUPPLEMENTARY TO FINA RULES

These Regulations are subordinated and supplementary to all FINA Rules adopted by the FINA Congresses from time to time and the FINA Code of Conduct.

Article 2.
OFFENSES BY OFFICIALS

2.1 The sanctions to be imposed for offenses committed by any person appointed by FINA as delegate, referee, goal judge or serving at the table at any water polo match shall be suspension from participating further in the tournament in which the match occurred and a report shall be made to the FINA Bureau, or if the Bureau is not assembled, to the FINA Executive, for consideration of additional sanctions.

2.2 If a person, appointed by FINA as a delegate, referee, goal judge or serving at the table at a water polo match, commits an offense referred to in these Regulations or the FINA Code of Conduct and involving cheating or partiality, the person shall be suspended up to life.

Article 3.
OFFENSES AGAINST OFFICIALS

3.1 Any offense committed by any member of a team or team official shall result in a minimum suspension of one (1) match up to a maximum suspension of all water polo matches for one (1) year period.

3.2 If the offense includes violence resulting in serious injury, use of any hard object or any other kind of violence against the body, the minimum suspension shall be for all water polo matches for one (1) year period up to a maximum of a lifetime suspension from water polo matches.

3.3 If the offense is an attempt to commit an offense referred to in 3.2, the minimum suspension shall be three (3) matches up to a maximum suspension of all water polo matches for one (1) year period.

3.4 Offenses in 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3 involve acts committed from 30 minutes before the beginning of the match until 30 minutes after the end of the match.

3.5 If an offense referred to in 3.1, 3.2 or 3.3 is committed by any person other than a player or team official, the minimum sanction shall be a warning or exclusion from the venue up to a maximum sanction of suspension of the right to attend water polo matches for any period up to, and including, life.

3.6 The minimum sanction for any offense under Article 3 may be increased for a second or subsequent offense by any individual.

Article 4.
OFFENSES AGAINST TEAM MEMBERS OR TEAM OFFICIALS

4.1 For brutality, or any offense not covered in FINA Rules WP 20-22 committed by a player against other players or team officials, the minimum suspension shall be for one (1) match up to a maximum of all water polo matches for a one (1) year period.

4.2 If the offense is committed by a team official against any player or team official, the minimum suspension shall be one (1) match up to a maximum of a lifetime suspension from water polo matches.

4.3 If the offense is committed by any other person, the minimum sanction shall be expulsion from the venue up to a maximum of a suspension of the right to attend water polo matches for any period up to, and including, life.

4.4 The minimum sanction for any offense under Article 4 may be increased for a second or subsequent offense by any individual.

Article 5.
OTHER OFFENSES

5.1 For any offense committed by any team member or team official against media representatives, spectators, pool staff or any other person present in the venue at the time of a match, the minimum suspension shall be from all water polo matches for a one (1) year period up to a maximum of suspension of the right to attend competitions for any period up to, and including, life.

5.2 For oral or written statements of an abusive kind or nature and directed against FINA, any Federation, any organizer, authority or any other person, and which are not elsewhere covered in this Code, the minimum sanction shall be suspension for a period of six (6) months up to a maximum suspension for life.

5.3 The minimum sanction for any offense under Article 5 may be increased for such period as the Management Committee deems appropriate.

Article 6.
OFFENSES COMMITTED BY TEAMS

6.1 If more than three members of the same team, including team officials, commit offenses sanctioned in accordance with Articles 3, 4 or 5 in the same match, that team shall be sanctioned with disqualification from that match and a minimum suspension from the next match in the tournament to a maximum suspension from taking part in any competition organised by the same body for a period of one (1) year.

6.2 Suspension in 6.1 means that the match or matches for which the team has been suspended shall be awarded to the opponent(s) with the goal score of 5-0.

Article 7.
PROCEDURES FOR IMPOSING SANCTIONS

7.1 Sanctions for offenses in 3.1 and 3.5 shall be imposed by the Management Committee within 24 hours after the end of the match, with immediate notification to the player(s), team official(s), or other person(s) suspended.

7.2 The Management Committee shall have the right to provisionally suspend any person or team who has committed offenses in 2.1, 2.2, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 5.1, 5.2, and 6.1, subject to immediate written submission of the case to the FINA Bureau or, Board of the Organizing body.

7.3 Sanctions in accordance with 2.1, 2.2, 3.2, 3.3, 3.5, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, and 6.1 shall be imposed by the. Board of the Organizing body.

7.4 Sanction involving disqualification and suspension of a team from one or more matches in the same tournament shall be imposed by the Management Committee within 24 hours after the end of the match and immediate notification to the team officials, the Federation of the team and the Board of the Organizing body.

7.5 Sanctions involving suspension of a team in accordance with 6.1 for a period covering more than the actual tournament shall be imposed by the Board of the Organizing body.

7.6 As used in these Regulations "suspension" for offenses other than in 3.1, 3.2, 3.5 and 4.1 shall mean, as may be specified by the Board of the Organizing body, from competitions or that the individual sanctioned shall not participate in any or certain activities of FINA, the recognized continental organisations or any of FINA's Member Federations, in any discipline of FINA including acting as a competitor, delegate, coach, leader, physician or other representative of FINA, a recognized continental organisation or a Member Federation. A suspension shall take effect from the date specified by the competent authority.

7.7 If a player or team official is suspended from a specific match, the team shall have the number of players or team officials on the bench reduced accordingly; provided that there is at least one (1) team official on the bench.

Article 8.
BURDEN OF PROOF

8.1 Referees, match officials or the competition management shall have the burden of establishing that offenses in the Water Polo Rules and these Regulations have occurred. In imposition of any sanction, the nature of the offense, the circumstances under which it occurred, the gravity of the offense, the character of the action and other consideration that is in harmony with the objectives of FINA must be taken into account.

Article 9.
APPEALS

9.1 An individual sanctioned by the Management Committee may appeal to the Board of the Organizing body within 21 days from the date of receipt of the decision including a sanction of the appealing party and further in accordance with the rules of the body concerned.