If you are a soccer fan, you might have seen the following on television or live at the grounds: after a decision that is not liked by one team, the players all race towards the referee or linesmen. 
And this is not to begin a civilized discussion, but rather to either verbally abuse the officials, or in the best case, engage in a strong argument. Worst case, they surround the referee in what can only be seen as some sort of physical intimidation.
To me, this is one of the worst evolutions in soccer, and one of the reasons why there is such a big lack of respect for the officials. This leads to increased dissent, and if the fans at the ground join in the fury, it will lead to more aggression on and off the pitch. 
Also, some teams are more “skilled” in the intimidation game, and gain an advantage over teams who want to play it fair. And off course, this then leads to all teams applying the same tactic.
Is there something that can be done about this? Absolutely. Here is my proposal: there is only 1 person allowed to talk to the referee, the team captain. He or she is after all the representative of the team, and should be chosen because of his or her experience and maturity on the pitch. If another player talks to an official, give a caution. If a player asks for a yellow card for an opponent, give the requesting player a yellow card.
Be consistent, apply this rule for 4 or 5 games, and I can assure you that things will change. We will see less (verbal) aggression, there will be a growing respect for every official, and hopefully a much more agreeable game to watch. It might even increase the game quality, as we can focus on the positive instead of the negative.
What do you think? Can this be done?
October 4, 2009 at 10:52 pm |
hey. that’s a great idea. there will be lesser conflicts during a match that way!