Attempts to punish parents' abusive sideline behaviour by sending their children from the pitch has been red-carded by the Football Association.

The Witney and District Youth Football League proposed to bring in a new law for this season and dismiss players as young as seven if their parents were offensive to other spectators and the referee.

League officials have now been forced to cancel the motion planned for a meeting at Carterton FC last night (August 15) after the FA, football's governing body, would not back the idea.

The Football Association said it could not support the initiative aimed at ending sideline abuse in children's matches because the Witney and District Youth Football League has no power to change the game's rules.

If the league had gone ahead with the red card initiative, clubs could have overturned red cards on appeal.

League officials were warned that only the International Football Association Board, made up of world governing body FIFA and British FAs, could amend the game's laws.

Tom Edwards, WDYFL chairman, said: "We are obviously disappointed. There was no way we could take it forward to the special general meeting because, without the backing of the FA, it's not realistic to do so."

Under the league's proposal the referees could send off the child of an abusive parent after two warnings.

The law would have affected all league football clubs ranging from U-sevens to U-16s and was backed by the WDYFL management committee and proposed by Oxfordshire FA Chairman Terry Williams.

Mr Williams did not want to comment on the FA snub but said he shared his colleagues' disappointment.

A spokesman from FA Headquarters at Soho Square said: "The laws of the game are set out by FIFA. Any changes in the laws of the game must be made by the International Football Association Board.

"The laws state the reasons why somebody can be sent off. It is contrary to the ideals of football to send someone off because of the behaviour of their parents.

"We have various initiatives taking place to improve behaviour of spectators and that that includes parents on the sidelines."

If the league flouted the regulations, it could have been suspended from the FA or fined.

Oxfordshire FA referees' secretary David Williams would not comment until he received confirmation from the English FA but had earlier said referees would not enforce the rule changes unless sanctioned by FIFA and the FA.