um bongo molongo
Well-known member
Different times, different consequences. Go back to 1950, people might have been busy involving themselves in other aspects of societes and their lives. Move forward to 2022 with a degenerated population - and more so generation - force fed with social media. In newspaper days you'd read about a bad ref once, move on to other shit and get over it. Dumb Kid, 19, in our time could however engulf himself in hatred for the entire day, fuelling his anger, while also having a lot easier ways to access the ref and his/her family.
Of course it turns even more of a problem when it comes to leagues lower in the divisions and in youth football. At some point more and more refs are going to think "ok, I get £20 and if I make a bad decision I could have 15 young gangsters and their braindead parents, inspired by the Mous and Tuchels of the world, harassing me and my family online, or waiting for me at the parking lot after the game. Is it worth it?" and there are clear indications that a lot of these refs are reaching the conclusion that it just isn't worth it.
Your second paragraph is spot on imho. I reffed some very junior games a while back and carded every player who showed dissent, earning much ire from the sidelines. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to let some 10 or 11 year old speak back to me. The rules are there, the refs should be instructed and backed to use them. And that would hopefully show players and managers at all tiers what behaviour should be like.