The ugly side of football

You won’t be surprised how passionate people are about the world’s most popular sport in our neck of the woods.

But, when those passions boil over, it (football) can get pretty ugly.

It actually gets to that point where people get so emotional about the game that all respect and manners go out the window.

I have covered countless football matches in my time and believe you me things can get incredibly and often ridiculously heated out there.

The language that is thrown about sometimes could even make a deaf man cringe – it has simply got to stop!

It’s not just the behaviour of the players on the field though.

At club football matches in Benoni I have heard spectators saying the most outlandish things to opposition players, coaches and supporters.

And poor referees too.

Those okes more than often bear the brunt of rowdy fans.

Sure, officials can make ludicrous decisions at times, but is the verbal abuse really that necessary?

Is football so important that we lose all our inhibitions and dignity towards our fellow man?

What exactly are we showing to the youngsters in the crowd?

It happens at professional level as well.

In the English Premier League you’ll regularly see fans throwing crude gestures at opposition players.

I think some people just need to take a long hard look at themselves and realise that their behaviour on the sidelines isn’t actually that cool.

Think about it…

Through bad language and cringe worthy comments you are helping to contribute to a dark image and negative perception of the sport that you love.

LG