Foul or abusive language.

[guerrero]

Dear Mr Ref.
I am standing watching a county league game with my wife,eight year old daughter and six year old son.
All I can hear is swearing from the players.
"Fcuking hell ref"
"Fcuck off"
"You're fcuking joking"
You've got the idea,but there is much worse as well.Frequent use of the "C" word,and lots of it directed at the officials.
Apart from calling the police,the match officials are the only recourse we have to the laws of the game.
Why do they not apply them?
Or do you think that maybe my family and I should do something else on a saturday because it's all part and parcel of football?
Even though abusive language is as against the rules as a punch or a headbutt?
Possibly once you are qualified you think that you can apply your own set of rules according to a given situation?
I would suggest that this is not the case.
Please don't use the arguement "I'd end up sending off ten players every game."
It's a bit like a traffic warden saying "If I had to ticket everybody who parked on double yellow lines,I'd be doing it all day."
Well yes.That's what you're there for.If you're not happy applying the rules,don't do the job.
All hypothetical of course,and I love refs.

[GeordiePhantom]

Dear Mr Ref.
I am standing watching a county league game with my wife,eight year old daughter and six year old son.
All I can hear is swearing from the players.
"Fcuking hell ref"
"Fcuck off"
"You're fcuking joking"
You've got the idea,but there is much worse as well.Frequent use of the "C" word,and lots of it directed at the officials.
Apart from calling the police,the match officials are the only recourse we have to the laws of the game.
Why do they not apply them?
Or do you think that maybe my family and I should do something else on a saturday because it's all part and parcel of football?
Even though abusive language is as against the rules as a punch or a headbutt?
Possibly once you are qualified you think that you can apply your own set of rules according to a given situation?
I would suggest that this is not the case.
Please don't use the arguement "I'd end up sending off ten players every game."
It's a bit like a traffic warden saying "If I had to ticket everybody who parked on double yellow lines,I'd be doing it all day."
Well yes.That's what you're there for.If you're not happy applying the rules,don't do the job.
All hypothetical of course,and I love refs.

I know the swearing at matches is frequent and loud Mr G, but can you really hear it from Spain?

[guerrero]

Only when I lip read Wayne Rooney.
It was a point that was made to me by someone who went to the John O'Hara final on friday.
He wasn't at all impressed a)With the bad language. b)With the fact that the officials clearly heard it and did nothing.
I guess that the response might be that one shouldn't take the wife and kids to a county league game.Even though he says he spent over fifty quid.(Entry,raffle,burgers and chips for four and drinks).
Well in future he won't.So that's sorted.
Where are the refs?
Don't they read this bit?
It is called "Ask the ref".It's a bit of a clue.
Those who come on this forum are not usually this quiet.

[octopus]

Where are the refs?
Don't they read this bit?
It is called "Ask the ref".It's a bit of a clue.
Those who come on this forum are not usually this quiet.

i'm sure strings will be along soon to answer

what about bakerref he might be able to help

[goalscorer]

Guerro, mi amigo,

l'm pretty sure you'll remember Steve Coffin (now sadly deceased) from some years ago when he was a County League ref.

He actually did something about swearing in football matches! lf my memory is not letting me down he sent off around 5 players in one match (possibly Littlehampton v Midhurst?) for foul and abusive language.

Guess what happened? All players in any game refereed by Mr Coffin were instructed not to swear, or they would be, not maybe, sent off.

And then guess what happened? Players didn't swear during that game because they couldn't afford to!

He wasn't very popular but he was effective, and, yes Guerro, you could take your 8 year old daughter and your 6 year old son to a game, and not worry about what they would hear.

[stringz]

Well here I am! Sadly there is no excuse not to enforce the law in this regard. Once again it all comes down to consistency, interpretation and missed opportunity.

Personally, I inform the skippers that I know that there will be a level of poor language however, it is down to them once I have spoken to them when a level in my opinion, has been reached that makes it unacceptable, if not they know the consequences. Steve Coffin was one of those guys and there are a few still about. But all that often happens is that you have a good game yet get slagged off for sending off for swearing. It is knowing when to draw the line.

Do you consider the forward who blazes the ball over the bar from six yards out and says, to himself 'You stupid f@!*ing idit' as having comitted an offence and needs dealing with? Probably not, but a quick word in his ear may suffice but if he does it again then yes action sholud be taken (before he gets subbed!).

Managers and players who holler across the pitch need to be dealt with swiftly and made aware of their transgression and once again advised of the consequnces if it continues.

IMHO foul language could be deemed a yellow card offence, that is general swearing. I think this problem could be solved very quickly if that were the case. But offensive or abusive language still a red. Of course there could be room for ambiguity and definiition but until we get consistency it will never be resolved sufficiently

[guerrero]

I certainly do remember Steve Coffin.
A policeman I believe?
I remember (forget the thrice taken penalty at Millwall) him allowing a penalty to be taken FOUR times at Saltdean,before it was scored.
It really is interesting that I believe that most officials would agree that if it was clamped down on that foul language would pretty well vanish.
If you made a start by stopping players and managers swearing at you(refs),then it could lead to a decrease in swearing generally.
I don't know how many refs who peruse this forum ever had to officiate me as a player or a manager,but I never would have sworn directly at an official,and I was never chastised for doing so.My biggest downfall was sarcasm.
eg.You were almost the best ref we've had this season,but this is game 36 and there are 35 in front of you.
Or. You were without doubt the best ref.......sorry did I say best?I meant worst,an easy mistake to make.... I have ever seen,and I'm quite old,so I've seen a few.
Banter which sometimes got me into trouble,but never strayed into abuse.
I have said before on here that I liked Bob Minty.
If I said to him after a game."Bob,we won today and you were still awful." He'd just say."Just as well you didn't lose then."
You are the guys in charge.There aren't 20,000 people in the stands baying for blood.If it means going into both dressing rooms before the game and telling them that you won't stand for abuse,then do it,and mean it.When the first toilet mouth walks, just say "Well I did tell you."
A refs revolution is needed to sort out the beautful game.
You can do it if you want to.
Do what's right.

[Tony Minoldo]

I certainly do remember Steve Coffin.
A policeman I believe?
I remember (forget the thrice taken penalty at Millwall) him allowing a penalty to be taken FOUR times at Saltdean,before it was scored.
It really is interesting that I believe that most officials would agree that if it was clamped down on that foul language would pretty well vanish.
If you made a start by stopping players and managers swearing at you(refs),then it could lead to a decrease in swearing generally.
I don't know how many refs who peruse this forum ever had to officiate me as a player or a manager,but I never would have sworn directly at an official,and I was never chastised for doing so.My biggest downfall was sarcasm.
eg.You were almost the best ref we've had this season,but this is game 36 and there are 35 in front of you.
Or. You were without doubt the best ref.......sorry did I say best?I meant worst,an easy mistake to make.... I have ever seen,and I'm quite old,so I've seen a few.
Banter which sometimes got me into trouble,but never strayed into abuse.
I have said before on here that I liked Bob Ref.
If I said to him after a game."Bob,we won today and you were still awful." He'd just say."Just as well you didn't lose then."
You are the guys in charge.There aren't 20,000 people in the stands baying for blood.If it means going into both dressing rooms before the game and telling them that you won't stand for abuse,then do it,and mean it.When the first toilet mouth walks, just say "Well I did tell you."
A refs revolution is needed to sort out the beautful game.
You can do it if you want to.
Do what's right.

100% with you here, Guerrero. I would add that officials need to be harder on abuse coming from the dugouts, what I've heard this season is intorelable. I wonder what would happen -speaking of sarcasm- if a few referees get together to watch a match, and during and after abuse the losing manager and coach for doing a horrible job?

No, seriously, also managers and coaches need to calm down a bit specially with the constant moaning for every single decision...A couple of weeks ago someone in the opposition's dugout had a go at me when I told my players (loud, for him to hear) to go on playing like men rather than moaning like little girls (with all due respect to litthe girls of which I have two at home!) as "someone else was doing". This individual then shout at me to "f*ck off" from the safety of being surrounded by 7-8 others in his dugout. Even after the match, which the team he is with equalised 2-2 with 2 penalties in the last few minutes, including a very controversial second one that let us with 10 men for the last 6 minutes, he went on moaning to the referee in the centre of the pitch. This is the first behaviour that IMHO needs to change drammatically if we're to ban foul and abusive language.

[Picto Cotts]

Players, supporters, administrators, managers, referees, assistant referees, 4th officials, assessors, mentors, tea ladies, kit men, physios, sponsors, the media... now that's where the responsibility lies.
I know what we'll do though, we'll ingnore our individual responsibilities and leave it all to one, poor bloke to deal with, who is damned if he does, blah, blah, blah!