Referees being disrespected will continue until influential figures at the highest levels of the game, such as Mikel Arteta and Jurgen Klopp, change their aggressive attitude towards them.
Recently, officials have received much criticism from managers in leagues across the globe and in some instances they have even been physically assaulted, as was the case in the Turkish Super Lig earlier this week. For a player to lay a hand on a referee should be an unthinkable concept, but it has happened and it is as shocking as it is unacceptable.
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Turkish official Halil Umut Meler experienced something that should only happen in a boxing or Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) environment. He was on the receiving end of a punch (a right cross as it is known in boxing) that knocked him to the ground and while he was there, presumably in a state of shock and fear, he was kicked by at least one other individual. And for what? For making a decision that some may not have agreed with?
Unfortunately, those kind of calls are just the way the game goes and should never warrant an aggressive reaction. In fact, the way footballers hurl insults at referees after having a decision go against them should not at all be tolerated. In an ideal world, they should just be bowing their heads in apology and walking away without the sickening, entitled attitude they tend to display. Even in the most gruesome of combat sports, athletes are incredibly respectful of match official; listen to every word that they say, showing the utmost respect.
In MMA, for instance, fighters follow every single instruction laid out by the referee and would not dare to infringe it. So, if arguably the most dangerous men on the planet would not lay a hand on a referee, what gives footballers the right to disrespect them in the manner that they do?
Unfortunately, the tone of attitudes towards officials across all levels of the game, even at grassroots, is set by the most influential figures at the very top: managers and players. When a Premier League manager like Mikel Arteta or Jurgen Klopp bashes the referee publicly after an incident that occurred during a game, they forget that they have people all around the world who cling on to every word they utter.
Additionally, those feelings rub off on fans and players. The players then feel it is okay to react aggressively, albeit verbally in most cases, to a decision made against them, not knowing that they have aspiring footballers who copy everything they do, especially their on-field mannerisms.
That is how disrespect towards referees can become a part, or has already become a segment, of footballing culture across the globe. It is something that needs to be brought to a halt immediately and managers should probably be punished for those post-match press conferences they use as an opportunity to speak ill of officials and their decisions because of the overall effect it has on the public.
The fact that the former MKE Ankaragucu president Faruk Koca, the man who threw the punch that resulted in a media storm and the entire Turkish league being suspended indefinitely earlier this week, was arrested before he handed in his resignation following statements by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who said that Koca's actions were "totally unacceptable", and the Turkey president himself condemning the incident is a step in the right direction.
Chairman of FIFA's Referees Committee Pierluigi Collina has since highlighted that many more officials suffer abuse on a regular basis without it being caught by the media.
"Neither the referee, nor the man, deserved to live the experience he lived yesterday in Ankara. He was doing his job when he was assaulted on the field of play at the end of a match he just officiated," the Italian said in a statement released by FIFA on Wednesday morning.
"The image of Halil Umut lying on the ground, with his hands protecting his head while he was kicked by his assaulters, as well the image of the bruise under his eye, are horrific.
"But even more horrific is to know that there are thousands of referees around the world who are verbally and physically abused at lower levels of the game across the world, without being reported by media. They are unknown."
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He went to explain that "violence, verbal and physical abuse against referees is a 'cancer' that may cost football its life".
"A referee cannot be beaten because of a decision they took, even if it's wrong. His or her car cannot be bombed or set on fire because of a penalty kick," he continued.
"Unfortunately this is not an exaggeration, as cars bombs and cars being set on fire is something that has happened in some countries, and not so rarely.
"As an 'old' referee I am particularly grateful to the FIFA President Gianni Infantino for his words and the solidarity he personally expressed to Halil Umut Meler.
"It's a responsibility for all those who love the 'beautiful game' to take action and do something. Before it's too late, before this cancer will kill football."
Opinion by Junaid Benjamin
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