Foul Language

[Guest Denzil Penberthy]

I have decided to undertake a visit to all grounds within the calsberg South West Peninsula league and visited Bickland Park, home of Falmouth Town last Saturday.

As I was there just to enjoy a game of football, my afternoon was very enjoyable. Saltash took a well deserved lead and scored again before half-time.

Falmouth appeared for the second half and scored immediately. Scoring again before full time, the game ended in a stalemate, even after extra time.

All to play for in the replay at Saltash.

What i did find distasteful was the arguments at the end of the game within the main stand. Some officials/supporters from Saltash seemed to be complaining about foul language coming from the home "dug out". when an Official from falmouth made a reasonable comment to the saltash group, an Official from Saltash replied with the comment "you ought to watch who you are F**king talking too.

Having witnessed this outburst from this saltash official, i feel they ought to be totally ashamed of themselves.

DB

[Goldeneye]

Denzil, I realise your experience was with club officials but I think this is a major problem in local football generally and, in my opinion, is why a lot of people have stopped going to games. Who wants to take their wife and young kids to listen to 90 mins of foul language. I place a lot of the blame on managers. The power to stamp it out rests with them, but they seem unwilling to do so!

[Guest Denzil Penberthy]

Denzil, I realise your experience was with club officials but I think this is a major problem in local football generally and, in my opinion, is why a lot of people have stopped going to games. Who wants to take their wife and young kids to listen to 90 mins of foul language. I place a lot of the blame on managers. The power to stamp it out rests with them, but they seem unwilling to do so!

You are right GOLDENEYE, is there really any need for such "industrial" language?

Perhaps being of another generation, I am 74, I find bad language quite unnecessary in converation. When there are children and females around, foul language is really unacceptable.

The power rests with the Chairman and committee members, they should ensure that management and officials conduct themselves in a right and proper manner.

[russhale]

Try being a ref!!!!

[pastyman]

Hi RUSSHALE, I totally agree with you, but in my opinion, the REFEREE has the power in his pocket. No Referee/Referees Assistant should be the victim of swearing. But who does anything about it? Is it not before time that the relevant County Football Associations gave a directive relating to swearing form players and officials?

Whilst the likes of Kevin Hendy, Stuart Dudley and Leigh Cooper, to name a few, conduct themselves impeccably, there are some who over step the mark.

I happened to be at the Falmouth Town v Saltash United game and witnessed some sort of altercation at the end of the game, which seemed to relate to swearing from the Falmouth bench. But what was actually said or not said, I do not fully know.

[russhale]

Pastyman, we do have the law on our side and i know referees use it. I do try and ask the player/official to moderate language before using the laws available. It is very frustrating because a ref is dammed if he/she does and dammed if he/she dosn't!!! I wont name and shame but the last player i sent off for calling me an fxx cheat etc, i was then subject to a torrent from his bench, great example set!

Its a great game and it is great to be involved on a sat, better than shopping!!

[jefferson hog]

i blame the refs you go to a duchy game a player swears he gets sent off depending on the ref but then you watch peninsular football they are all swearing even at the ref nothing is done there is just no consistency until swearing is cut right out even if it means finishing with 7 on each side they will soon learn

[Goldeneye]

Of course the ref has the final sanction, but nobody has explained why the managers cannot stop it. Who runs the sides the managers or the players? What we need is managers like Brian Clough! With him the players did what they were told!

[jefferson hog]

we all know that players run the teams

[Smudge]

Surely the FA Respect campaign extends to the whole game and applies to players, spectators, managers etc and not only behaviour towards the officials? It's about time we started enforcing it a bit more and put the sporting behaviour back into sport.

[Brianmooreshead]

I'm afraid it's far too late for respect campaigns or any other such well intentioned clean up ideas.

The genie is out of the bottle

For many years now the top players have been seen on saturated tv coverage to be able to say what they want in any manner they choose to match officials

When any of the top refs had the bo***ks to stand up to them - It was the refs that got punished

Wayne Rooneys outburst at the ref against Arsenal two or three seasons ago was possibly the worst ever.( Unless you exclude Ian Wright taking the mickey out of a handicapped linesman )

Then Ashley Cole turned his back and ignored the ref - Nothing happened in either case !

what you don't stop you encourage

Players at all levels ( especially kids ) see the top pros get away with it and just mimic that - It's human nature

What is strange is as someone mentioned earlier - In Duchy football ( where there's usually only two men and a dog watching ) you get sent off for directing foul language at the ref.

At SW league level (where people pay to get in ) Its ignored !!!

[Martin Eddy]

i am old enough to remember when the law was first brought in.we had a player sent off in our game in the afternoon and on motd that night you saw loads of instances of players swearing and we all know how strict refs. are at the start of a new campaigne when new laws are introduced only to chill out as the season goes on.and yes i am a ref. :c:

[Pablo]

i am old enough to remember when the law was first brought in.we had a player sent off in our game in the afternoon and on motd that night you saw loads of instances of players swearing and we all know how strict refs. are at the start of a new campaigne when new laws are introduced only to chill out as the season goes on.and yes i am a ref.

Actually I think you'll find the buck stops with the club officials re: swearing. It is up to the club as a whole to control fans, members and officials. It is the club that is punished if anyone steps out of line off the pitch.

[Referee]

The Respect Campaign is not going to be completed overnight and was never intended to be.

It is the responsibility of ALL people connected with football to stamp out offensive or abusive remarks. This does include spectators, players, referees and club officials.

I do try my hardest to execute the unwritten Law of Common Sense (contrary to popular belief), but expecting the man in black ( I say man because nobody crosses Anita and gets away with it!) to appropriately apply the letter of the Law is tantamount to expecting a bobby on the beat arresting everyone behind the goal for having an offensive outburst at the Ref or an opposing Player.

We try our hardest, believe me.

In answer to the query about Duchy League players receiving harsher treatment than SWPL I can only give you my example from last year......................

I'll keep it short and not use real names but I reffed a match in Duchy Division 4 and dismissed a player for abusive language at a match official. I simply cannot repeat or slightly disguise what he said but you get the picture.

With there being no more than a dozen spectators including substitutes and the pub dog, I could clearly hear his loud outburst and everybody present heard it and knew it was directed at me and all present knew that a red card was the only possible sanction. Every man, and the dog, had heard me warn him several times.

I was being assessed at a SWPL West Division game the week after and I was quizzed by the Assessor as to why I did not send off a specific individual, for the same offence as in the Duchy League match the previous week as it happens. My response was that I had only had one conversation with him the whole match which was when I cautioned him in the first half and had not heard a dicky-bird from him thereafter. This match had atleast fifty spectators, most of whom were in the enclosed seating area and were very loud with their opinions; this drowned out most of the comments from the players unless they were in close proximity and facing me.

Most of you are still muttering about a particular game last season which was abandoned due to lack of player control - so I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't !

In conclusion; we can't just get on the Forum and moan about it (although I do tend to join in sometimes) we all have to be seen to deal with it on the day - AND THAT MEANS YOU !

[Guest soccerstyle]

I am also tired of hearing foul language at sporting events. It is even worse when it is at a youth game because most of the time it is coming from a parent. No one wants to hear these things at a youngsters game. Thats why in movies there is a PG, PG-13 and R. So parents keep it PG when at a kids game. Here is a good article that helps fits this topic. Soccer Parent Behavior

[Magic Mike]

We try to keep it clean down at st day as my six year old boy likes to sit in the dugouts looking after the water bottles

The odd word does occur but if someone repeatedly swears I just have a word and point at the boy.

Most people are okay who we've played this season!

[MOUNTAINEER]

Denzil, I realise your experience was with club officials but I think this is a major problem in local football generally and, in my opinion, is why a lot of people have stopped going to games. Who wants to take their wife and young kids to listen to 90 mins of foul language. I place a lot of the blame on managers. The power to stamp it out rests with them, but they seem unwilling to do so!

You are right GOLDENEYE, is there really any need for such "industrial" language?

Perhaps being of another generation, I am 74, I find bad language quite unnecessary in converation. When there are children and females around, foul language is really unacceptable.

The power rests with the Chairman and committee members, they should ensure that management and officials conduct themselves in a right and proper manner.

I find the reference to "Industrial" language offensive, I too am 74 but indicating that anyone who manually works for a living is from a lower class is disgusting, having experience of both office and factory floor I know many offices too are devoid of angels.

[GwinearNo.10]

It's not a difficult problem to sort out , it just takes the manager at every club to take charge of the situation. I was no angel on the pitch but since I took over managing my club I have taken a zero tolerance on any player or supporter so much as question a referee's decision . We are a small club so I suppose its a lot easier for me to take this stance but people have to know who's in charge if a manager of a bigger club needs help to take this stance then surely they have an assistant .

Some one mentioned Cloughey , well obviously from the league we play in and our results I'm no Brian Clough but when one of our players Dad tried to abuse a referee , I marched round the pitch and told him to button it or leave. This particular Dad had always behaved this way when I was still playing i used to hear him but was it not my concern then as just a player but now as manager it reflects on me what ever happens involving our club and any ref that has taken charge of any of our games must notice the difference as only my captain is allowed to speak to the ref. When I hear the teams we play question every decision and blast the ref and lino's with foul language for 90 minutes they stand out that much more now with one set of players quiet , I'm embarrassed and ashamed that i used to be involved in it but I still think the refs could step up a zero tolerance too if only to encourage more teams like ours to continue with our discipline as i do feel sorry for my players when on a number of occasions we have lost games due to weak refs allowing themselves to be manipulated by screaming opponents and abusive touchlines. :SM_carton:

[Goldeneye]

Superb post Gwinear No 10. What a great example your setting, hope other managers follow suit!

[goodsense]

as a Referee I feel what comes out of the Dug Out reflexs on the way players behave.If the Dug Out is unruly the players will be so maybe the Managers should take a long hard look at them selves. I do not or will tolerate foul language aim at me or anyone else during the game. but one thing i have noticed over the years is that if you deal with Players or club official in the correct way as the law states, You as the ref are usaully berated as the worst of the worst by players and club memebers alike . We as Referees have the power to deal with offensive,insulting and abusive language . that is aimed at whoever and we should deal with it in the correct manner . Foul language is used in a common way in this socitey and people feel that it is right to use such language, but I as a ref do not swear during a game for 90 minutes so why should a player ( frustration is a poor excuse) I am 50 years old and I know where I can swear and where I can`t And to be truthful I try not to anyway.

DEAL WITH IT WITH THE LAW BEHIND YOU AND WE MAY STAMP IT OUT.

[telithowitis]

Don't blame the refs. Its job enough to concentrate on making the right decisions on the pitch including the players language. They don't have the benefit of official assistants/linesman let alone a fourth official to tell them who is shouting from the sideline.

I watch a lot of footy at Junior and Senior level. Getting back to the post I've got to say that there is definitely a problem with industrial language by Managers/coaches at SWL level far more than lower levels. I think the FA should let the ref get on with the game and send random assessors to games. If Managers/Club officials are heard being abusive they should be punished. Not by fines but First offence - touchline ban for offender- suspended deduction of points. Second offence deduct the points etc. See how quickly they stop when they know points could go down the pan.

Take a look at what’s happening in Scotland, the refs have had enough - no ref - no game!!!

Where next for a strike?? We all need to wake up and smell the coffee.

:c:

[goodsense]

telithowitis 100% right ... the trouble is if we all went on strike it wouldn`t cure it, It needs to be Stamped out at the top levels and then it may filter down to grass roots football .