1/08/2008

The double standards of footballers receiving abuse

Portsmouth and England defender Sol Campbell recently launched a campaign to get action taken over fans comments to players during matches. Now Jamie Carragher, a Liverpool player, is in the news because he retaliated verbally at some fans after the Luton versus Liverpool match on Sunday. It is alleged that Carragher was provoked because fans swore at him and threw some beer at him.

Whilst I cannot condone the actions of the fans, which was disgraceful and gives all football fans a bad name, I am somewhat bemused at footballers who dish it out, but seem unable to take it back. Just minutes before the end of the Luton game, a decision was taken, quite rightly as the TV replays showed, against Liverpool, the camera then zoomed in on Jamie Carragher and he could be seen to shout directly at the referee "You f*cking tw*t !"

Sol Campbell was right the abuse from fans is out of order, but the fans pay to see the footballers, and if the footballers do it, can footballers then moan about the fans ?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Britain is a country divided by the have's and have nots. Todays players are being financially pampered. Their wages have become obscene. All the old greats must be turning in their graves.
And yet our over-paid miserable bunch of Premier performers cant even qualify for Europe 2008.

Perhaps it's all a backlash by disgruntled fans that gave up their Spanish holiday just so they could purchase another over-priced season ticket.
Lets hope that like the obscene housing market, sports fees and wages will also come down to a reasonable but rewarding level.

After all if our England team gets stuck in the world B- division, then I cant see clubs being so generous when it comes to dishing out wages. Our top domestic players have still yet to produce the goods on the International scene.
But sure some of the abuse is a bit harsh. A good thing that the player didnt retaliate and do a 'Cantona.'

Charles Letterman said...

It must be terrible for this £50,000 a week professional to hear the people who paid his wages for so long take the piss out of him. Redknapp said: "Nobody likes being called filthy names and hearing other filthy abuse.It's not right. What has that got to do with coming to a game? For a start there are kids there."

That's right Harry, because professional footballers are superb role models for kids aren't they? And you're right, nobody likes being called names. But then again, not many of us have the luxury of being in a high paid profession where you don't have to take responsibility for anything.

Witness last November's England crunch match against Croatia on a wet Wednesday night. You could see all that Campbell, Lampard and Gerrard wanted to do was to get the match over with and go back to their million pound mansions.

OK Sol, they're chanting that you're gay and that you indulge in homosexual activities. Is that really 'filthy'? Just grow up and recognise just how much these people put into the game that has made you a very wealthy man.

Pages