Attacks on Football Referees in UK Football - Literature review Example

?Attacks on Football Referees in UK Football: Introduction: This paper is primarily based on a profoundly important and critically challenging issue of the present sports world that is wreaking havoc in some areas of United Kingdom (UK). Referees abuse is prevailing in the game of UK football and this poses a serious life-threatening blow to the football association (FA). Referees abuse and myriad other violent attacks aimed at respectful officials by the team members is a matter of huge shame, intense complication, and international interest. Redknapp (cited in The Telegraph, 2010) emphasizes that the UK football players have to discipline themselves and avoid attacking the referees. If good discipline lacks and pure defiance rules, then no respect for the officials can be guaranteed and referees abuse can be expected without much consideration. The discussion presented below is basically an effort to highlight the existence of disciplinary problems in the UK football while laying stress on the referees abuse by players and to what degree this abuse is affecting the referees and their interests. The paper also highlights the steps taken by the football referees to overcome the lack of discipline and resulting abuse from the football players in UK. Disagreement from the referees’ decisions due to lack of discipline: According to a sports report by Taylor and Hytner (2008), the ruthless and defiant behavior shown by Ashley Cole and his teammates towards the match referee Sir Alex Ferguson (Scottish football manager) was too significant to be overlooked and has been the topic of much criticism among the UK public and entire world as well. This scenario presents an important example when lack of discipline and respect in the UK football players is talked about. Disagreement is the root cause of all the disciplinary problems and when Cole refused to agree with the view of the coaching manger who expressed distaste regarding the behavior of Cole, a literal war of words broke out between the team players and Sir Ferguson. “I think the haranguing of referees we have seen is absolutely ridiculous.” (The United manager, cited in Tylor and Hytner, 2008). It is a sad reality that the approach of defying the opinions and judgments of the important officials is spreading among the UK football players and this poses a serious threat to the football future. The report further lays stress on the impact of lack of discipline among the UK football players by mentioning that another player named Grant also vehemently disagreed with the decision of the match referee Dean, who sent a midfielder player out of the field by dismissing him in the first match that was supervised by him. This action of the match referee was hugely disliked by the team players who instead of agreeing with the referee’s decision in accordance with the rules of the game, started abusing the referee coarsely. It is a good measure taken by Chelsea that Cole was subsequently punished owing to the fact that he harassed the match referee while threatening to snatch the red card from his hand. Pearce (cited in Herbert, 2008) emphasizes that referees can make mistakes too sometimes and they should be tolerated by the players. Lack of cohesion and harmony leads to disagreement between players and referees: Wenger, coming from the football club Arsenal has been quoted as saying after a match that “Our game lacked cohesion. I always felt we could be punished.” (cited in Press Association, 2010). This also supports the reality that discipline is lacking in the UK football game and more importantly, among the football players. The UK football players have inexplicably developed a stubborn sense of defying most of the decisions taken by the match referees and a very hyped drama is created when a certain match referee orders any player to leave the field. In response to yellow or red card shown by the referee, all the teammates typically surround the referee and start pressurizing him for taking back his decision. Some even go as far as to put allegations on the match referees that they have taken a certain action against a team player because of personal benefits or pressure from the higher authorities, so life f a football referee can be unforgiving and tough. (Sinnott, 2011). In many such abuse cases in the football game like the two above discussed, the match referees remain shocked and aggrieved at the players’ attitudes long after the game ends, and speak out against the conduct of the misbehaving players. After this, many football players have to issue an apology for disrespect shown towards the match referees just like Ashley Cole did. Barnes (cited in The London Football Association, n.d.) said that “football League clubs are committed to creating safe, family friendly environments at their grounds and they will not tolerate this kind of behaviour.” Demotivation peeks in the referees after verbal attacks by the football players: Any sports team is not just based on the players who play the game in the field, rather the coaches and referees also together form an important part of a team. When players overlook this fact and start making up their own decisions while disagreeing over little things coming from the experienced referees and trying to make them feel like they know less than them, the team network shatters and disciplinary problems erupt on daily basis. Still, there are many cases amidst the justified punishments given to the UK football players for defaming the match referees, in which the players are not punished for vocally abusing the referees on online websites and this plays a major role in putting off the motivational spirit of the referees. BBC (2011) mentions that Wilshere will not receive any punishment for vocally defaming the match referee Phil Dowd nor will he b asked to issue any apology to the referee. It is worth mentioning here that Wilshere passed rude comments about the match referee on Twitter and created a much drama out of nothing. On the other hand, another UK football player Babel was fined heavily for posting rude comments and edited pictures about the match referees on a social networking site. This is a fact that despite strict measures taken by the FA in order to suppress the disciplinary problems, many players still escape the punishment for insulting the match referees. This presents a serious threat to the professional futures of many referees who feel psychologically pressurized and “the abuse sticks for the rest of the day and night.” (Keelby United Football Club, 2011). The Scotland strike as a means of suppressing the abusive attacks by the referees: The top most referees’ strike in Scotland in 2010 also presents the presence of an underlying challenge that needs to be contemplated now seriously by the higher authorities like FA. The most experienced and prestigious football referees decided to go on a heavy strike against the UK football players after they felt they were receiving way too much abuse from them. Efforts were taken to calm the enraged referees but they did not agree and some matched were conducted without them. “Domestic referees have refused to call off their action.” (Arnold, 2010). This matter of disobedience had been going on for a long while and finally, the referees sat together and decided that a strike is profoundly important to deal with the domineering pressure coming from the football players. Law, Tait, and Grieve (2010) discuss the strike decision of the UK football referees by saying that the pressure had been building up for past many months until the referees decided that enough is enough and something has to be done for suppressing the increasing abuse of the UK football players. It is actually not a decision that has been taken easily or without any grounds. “Refs made the decision to strike at a 90-minute meeting yesterday after coming in for growing criticism in the last few weeks.” (Law, Tait, and Grieve, 2010). From this strike decision, it is not difficult to interpret that the UK football referees have finally understood the gravity of the situation and they are not short of interpreting the intensity of the pressure created by the UK football players and their misbehaviors. The important match officials should be given respect and the Scotland strike supports the fact that the football officials will not tolerate the perceived attacks on their integrity and character from the football players anymore. Conclusion: This is an unequivocal fact that the prevalence of rebellion and defiance in the UK football players is too significant to be denied easily, though some people intentionally try to stay oblivious to all the blazing facts for some reasons. Still, the good reality is that the UK football officials and the match referees are no longer unable to assess the attacks from the football players and they are never going to escape any such grave situation. Rather, they will not rest until any such defiant player issues an apology for his misbehavior and verbal or physical abuse. References: Arnold, A 2010, ‘Top Scottish Games On Despite Withdrawals’, skyNEWS, 27 November, viewed 07 May, 2011, < http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/UK-News/All-Six-Top-Flight-Football-Games-In-Scotland-Are-On-Despite-Referee-Strike-Says-Scottish-FA/Article/201011415835045?f=rss> BBC 2011, ‘Jack Wilshere avoids FA punishment for Twitter post’, news.bbc.co.uk, 07 February, viewed 07 May, 2011, < http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/9388527.stm> Keelby United Football Club 2011, ‘Who’d be a football Referee?”, viewed 07 May, 2011, < http://keelbyunited.co.uk/blog/Under_13_1011_Blog_Referee.html> Law, G, Tait, G, and Grave, R 2010, ‘Top refs to go on strike’, thesun.co.uk, 22 november, viewed 07 May, 2011, < http://www.thesun.co.uk/scotsol/homepage/news/3239887/Top-referees-to-go-on-strike.html> Herbert, I 2008, ‘Stop attacks on referees, Pearce tells managers’, 18 November, viewed 07 May, 2011, < http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/stop-attacks-on-referees-pearce-tells-managers-1023142.html> Press Association 2010, ‘Arsene Wenger concedes title and says Arsenal lacked focus and discipline’, Guardian.co,uk, 18 April, viewed 07 May, 2011, < http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/apr/18/wenger-arsenal-wigan-premier-league-title> Sinnott, J 2011, ‘Referees in the spotlight’, BBC SPORT, 10 February, viewed 07 May, 2011, < http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/mobile/football/9379989.stm> Taylor, D, and Hytner, D 2008, ‘Ferguson goes on the attack over lack of discipline’, Guardian.co.uk, 22 March, viewed 07 May, 2011, The London Football Association n.d., ‘The Y-Word!’, viewed 07 May, 2011, < http://www.londonfa.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=260:the-y-word&catid=11:news> The Telegraph 2010, ‘Tottenham Hotspur players must improve their discipline, says manager Harry Redknapp’, 29 December, viewed 07 May, 2011, < http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/tottenham-hotspur/8229067/Tottenham-Hotspur-players-must-improve-their-discipline-says-manager-Harry-Redknapp.html> Read More