CLAMP DOWN ON FOULING AND FAKING
And Stop Training Young Footballers To Cheat!
Unsporting Behaviour: Many people would like to see bad behaviour completely eliminated from the game of football. The practice of faking offences in order to try and get an opponent booked or sent off is childish and unsporting and is a form of fraud that can lead to someone who is completely innocent being penalised unfairly.
Sets Bad Example: Shirt pulling and the use of the arms to obstruct and hold players back sets a bad example to young people watching and is very obviously cheating with the game looking more like wrestling at times. If players’ skills are not good enough to stop their opponents without cheating, perhaps they should consider a change of career, or alternatively improve their skills until they are.
Professional Fouls? We often hear the phrase 'professional foul', however, there is nothing professional about cheating or underhanded behaviour in any form. It may be understandable amongst children, who have much to learn and who have yet to learn their lessons in life. This should not be the mentality of many of our footballers.
Professional Bodies? Such cheating is not tolerated in any other sport and it shouldn't be tolerated in football. However, there are currently many questions and a lack of professionalism hanging over the bodies that currently manage football at this time. They are certainly a bit slow and behind other sports and seem to think that some things are acceptable, when they clearly should not be so.
Caught On Camera: Punishment in retrospect would indicate to players in no uncertain terms that the practice must stop and that, if they cheat and are caught, they will be penalised until the practice stops. Players may think they can get away with it when the referee is not looking but they usually cannot escape the gaze of the camera.
Quality Control: As people have to pay significantly to watch football nowadays, it seems only fair that what we are paying to view should be subject to an element of quality control. It seems equally fair that blatant fraud and cheating should not be part of what we are paying for and should not be allowed to be prevalent in what is otherwise an exciting and worthy sport.
Stop It! It would therefore be nice to see something done about eliminating it too by getting this message across to the offending players. In fact, all the time this practice is allowed to go on unchecked it is tantamount to condoning it and it gives young people watching the game the impression that this is a perfectly fair and acceptable part of the game, which of course it is not!
No Longer Tolerated: Dealing with incidents in retrospect if players are caught on camera will give the players the message that this kind of practice is definitely not part of the game of football, definitely not acceptable and will no longer be tolerated! Thereby making a much fairer, more sporting, and much more enjoyable game, for all who spectate. We look forward to that day!