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Respect? In Your Dreams…
Published by Ian John on March 23, 2009
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The F.A’s respect campaign, aimed at improving relations between players, staff, fans and officials for the good of the game was relaunched last week. Yet within days of the launch, we already have the first real acid test as to whether this is an F.A campaign that has actually got teeth and is prepared to bite, or whether it is simply another exercise in football P.R that is only applied sporadically and with punishments based not on the crimes committed, but on how much money and power your club holds.
I refer to the somewhat distasteful scenes and reactions of certain Manchester United players at the weekend towards the referee Phil O’Dowd. The howls of pious self pity were led, predictably, by Sir Alex Ferguson once again. Fergie reckoned that not only should Wayne Rooney not have been sent off for throwing the ball at the official (he was simply returning it to the vicinity of the free kick) but that Paul Scholes should not have seen red for his blatant handball in the penalty box, thus denying a clear goalscoring opportunity. The last time I checked the rule books, that was a sending off offense. Apparently I am wrong, as was referee Phil O’Dowd, as the player was “close” to Scholes. This new ‘Manchester United Variation’ on the ruling therefore means that if a player is standing in the Manchester United penalty box ‘close’ to a United player (I should point out here ‘close’ is a distance determined only by Sir Alex Ferguson), then any United player is free to use his hands to deny a clear goal and not be penalised. Actually I am surprised that a penalty should not be awarded in United’s favour, for the opposition having the temerity to try and score in the first place.
The Scholes incident was a clear sending off. Rooney’s I have a little sympathy with. A little. I would have a great deal more if United showed any of the aforementioned ‘respect’ for teams and officials when things don’t go their way, but as per usual there is little evidence of that. After his laughable claim last week that “the best team lost” at Old Trafford, Ferguson then continued the fantastical theme claiming that because the referee was Mr O’Dowd, it was to be expected that he would send off United players at every given opportunity. That is utterly scandalous and calls into question the whole integrity of the official. It implicitly accuses him of anti-Manchester United bias and thus means Ferguson is accusing him of being less than fair.
The reason Ferguson does this is because he is allowed to get away with it. Other managers can state something about an official and be hauled in before the FA, fined or suspended. Ferguson continually puts unfair pressure, undue criticism and continual accusations of anti-Manchester United bias on referees that all makes the referees job untenable at times. Respect? What a joke! It is time for the F.A to show other teams the same respect they crave and not look at the bank balance or the badge on the club blazer of the manager before they decide whether to take any action against offenders.
At times every manager, fan and player gets frustrated with officials because they get it wrong. Ferguson’s rants are usually well beyond this. His oft quoted ‘mind games’ are not just with opposing managers, but with officials too. Look how often in the run up to a big game, when an official is announced, Ferguson will be quick to point out all the injustices perpetrated against United by this official and then he will illustrate how much he favours the opposition. How can a referee make any decision, even the correct decision, against United and win in such circumstances? He is placed under additional pressure and scrutiny because of these comments that his job officiating the game becomes almost impossible.
The lack of respect is now obviously permeated down through to players. Cristiano Ronaldo’s disgusting response of “No, you come to me.” When Phil O’Dowd asked him to come to him during the game should have been rewarded with a straight red card. Respect? What a joke. That is not based on the player, but the attitude. Had Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Cesc Fabregas or even Gandhi said the same thing, it should have the same result. Straight red. No arguments. That would put a stop to it.
So I hope the F.A show all other clubs a bit of respect and get Ferguson in on charges and take into account the myriad of times before he has done the same thing. It won’t happen of course. It isn’t what you do with the F.A that matters, it is who you are employed by.
And the most irksome thing about all of this? It is so unnecessary. On their day Manchester United are simply breathtaking. They are a fantastic football team. They play brilliant, flowing, attacking football and they play the game in the spirit it was intended. They are still the best team in the world at the moment by some way. As such United’s players and staff do not require this nonsensical siege mentality that ‘everyone is against them’. Nor do they require this questioning and pressuring of officials and pouting, posturing, petulant nonsense to be the best. They don’t need this obstinate ‘we never lose, it is always someone else’s fault’, pouted bottom lip approach to defeat. They don’t need to try and put pressure on officials before and after games because they feel decisions may or may not go their way. On their day United can beat anyone anywhere, with or without the help of any official. If an official calls a game 50-50, United will still win a lot more than most.
What they do need, is to learn to take defeat gracefully.
And to show a little respect.
Photo Courtesy of **Daniel Weir.esq** at Flickr.com
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Nabyl Charania on Mon, 23rd Mar 2009 9:39 am
Don’t you know Sir Alex is always right! Man U needs to get their act together quickly, problem is like you said, they act like Diva’s on the pitch and it starts with Sir Alex him self.