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The death threat aimed at the wife of
one of Vitesse sponsor NUON's directors is the latest in a long line of stories
concerning violence on and off the pitch in Holland as well as elsewhere in
football-land. Vitesse are in the middle of a power struggle where a personal
grudge, between the former chairman and the current 'boss' Vaessen, is playing
no small part in the messy affair. Earlier in the season, threats by Utrecht
and Feyenoord supporters 'achieved' the withdrawal of the Ajax film from
cinemas in Rotterdam and Utrecht. Riots broke out in Den Bosch after a fan of
the local club was shot dead by a policeman during an investigation into a
clash between neighbours. In England two players were sent off in a
women's football match after blows were exchanged (even between players on the
same team). There have been enough other stories about violence at the amateur
level, and even between parents supporting their 'kids' at youth matches, to
suggest that the 'temperature' is rising at all levels of the game (and its got
nothing/or maybe everything to do with global warming).
The increase in on/off pitch 'racist'
insults in Italy, Lazio being the major culprit with its fascist fans (the
Leeds-Lazio confrontation is a well documented example of the problem), and the
trouble players can expect from the fans there if they don't do well
(culminating in players demanding the right to 'lose' a match now and then!) is
a story in itself. A recent Iranian topper ended up with full scale riots
between rival supporters - confrontation seems to be the lifeblood of
some groups of 'supporters' who just can't do without. To much animal
testosterone/adrenaline and too little human spirit of competition are on
evidence as leading to bloodymindedness and bloodshed if nothing is done to
tackle them. An increasingly ill-tempered English Premier League peppered with
'vicious' tackles had to examine its conscience earlier in a season which
started with hormones and emotions at boiling point. Referees were being blamed
for all the red cards flying around whereas the millionaire player offenders (
with their offensive, spoilt brat attitudes and short fuses) were more often
than not 'protected' and 'defended' by their managers. This led to an
undermining of referees authority by the English FA who decided to set up a
panel of 'experts' to reassess red card decisions in the comfort of hindsight,
a plush chair and plenty of 'cool and collected' time to watch video replays.
It begins to look as though football may
be due for some therapy and a course in sportsmanship (which includes honesty
and respect for opponents, the referee and the game in general). Society as a
whole is clearly suffering from the dis-ease caused by the pursuit of money and
fame in all its forms (manners, good taste and 'morality' in its most basic
form falling by the wayside, out of fashion and undervalued).
Aggression,
violence and a win at all costs attitude are threatening to undermine the
enjoyment of the sport and are definitely not providing an example for young
people to follow.
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The pressure on clubs, players and managers to succeed, the
unbelievable amounts of money involved and the 'passions' (oh! the passions)
are taking too much control of the game. We all want to watch spirited matches
where teams are ready to fight for victory but does this mean that football
becomes a 'blood' sport? The game has had sufficient learning experiences
(leading to the exclusion of clubs and countries from competitions) in the past
to have realised the damaging effects violence and racism, both on and off the
pitch, have on the sport. People (and, by implication, society) often display
an alarming unwillingness to learn from mistakes which is why honesty is the
most important component in changing that. In an era when 'disinformation' (a
new word for lies), bending and even breaking the rules are accepted practices,
the idea of principles and honesty are not to be ridiculed but, rather, are
worthy of praise. Paolo di Canio's 'good example' before Christmas struck a
loud chord across the footballing world exactly because of the negative
trends/times and the fact that most people want their heroes (footballing and
otherwise) to be 'goodies' and not 'baddies'. If we are to keep the lid on (or
preferably keep out altogether) extreme elements in football then the
importance given to sportsmanship and 'good' behaviour will have to be
increased. Awards for sportsmanship might be a good starting point - after all,
if a donkey needs a carrot(?) - and a 'real' hard stance on 'clear and present'
violence (of both the verbal and physical kind) by clubs and footballing
authorities can do no harm in cleaning up the sport. Another idea would be to
professionalise the job of referee and linesmen - give them the
finances/incentive to be as fit as the players - allow them to remain 'in
charge' of the match, using video to clarify errors while giving officials
their own 'right' to make mistakes. Reducing to a minimum the 'risk' and
'rewards' of violence will help them to do their job well and will do the game
itself no end of good. We at FootballNL will be having our own Sportsman of the
year and will be inviting your votes. We want you to write to us with your
opinions, which we will publish if they are intelligent and readable for
others, even if we disagree with what you have to say.
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© 2000 [FootballNL].
All rights reserved.
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