Welcome back all,
How can you be the Writer of the Month for March?
Don't just answer the Question of the Week, but every Midweek Topic posted by The Postman on his blog.
And this week's topic concerns the recent controversy surrounding Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho's use of the Portuguese word "puta" - which translates as bitch - when speaking to referee Mike Riley during the weekend's FA Cup quarter-final with
Tottenham Hotspur.
While he admits to saying the word because of emotions (and he was seen mouthing off
from the sidelines during the live telecast), he denied swearing at Riley.
Now, the English Football Association will not take any action against Mourinho since Riley did not mention it in his referee's report.
Still, you often see managers mouthing off using famous swear words, be it in English or similar European languages like Spanish, Portuguese or
Italian.
Should managers curb their foul mouths, especially when they are seen by millions worldwide now, including impressionable youngsters?
Tell us, in not more than 200 words, (please click link right for auto word counter).
Post your views here by clicking on "comments" below my sign-off here or e-mail us by clicking the link right, and writing under the heading "Midweek Topic".
At your service,
Ernest Luis
The Postman
The New Paper
(PS. E-mailers and especially bloggers, e-mail us your full name, age, occupation, contact numbers and favourite teams, to be in the running)
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38 comments:
Let me say first that, it isn't very nice to be setting a bad example for youngsters who are watching all the action on tv and see a role model curse.
But it would be very naive for us to think that managers or players who curse in front of tv will be the ones who are responsible for youngsters learning how to curse and being disrespectful. After all, most of us, learn how to curse not from trying to lip-read managers' mouth but more on tv shows and movies and from friends and from the workplace and from everyone. It is just everpresent in our life and I don't think the managers trying to curb their foul mouth will do anything to stop the trend. Of course it will be nicer to ask him or her from cursing in front of tv, but why? Censor all emotions shown in a football match? Football is all about passion. If this will be too much of a problem to the youngsters, ask the cameraman to stop zooming on the managers during the full 90 mins match, in paricular Jose Mourinho who is an emotional passionate man. There's a reason why they have a camera facing Jose Mourinho, don't you think?
The answer is an obvious yes but in reality it is hard to do so.First of all,how many fans don't curse and swear when their team missed a sitter?
Most of the people could tell the words that came out from the managers and players mouth simply by reading their lips on TV.Even those who have no single idea what are the gaffers and footballers are mumbling or screaming,common sense tells them its not something nice.
Face it,swearing is part and parcel of watching this game.Its a way of venting anger and frustration not just for footballers but also normal people like you and me.People do swear even when they know its not an appropriate behaviour to show.
During a match when the tension and pressure are at the maximum level,the scene of players and managers swearing is normal.Thats why we don't see players or managers being booked for swearing unless they really take it too far and the words they used contained abusive or discriminating meanings.Mr Nice Guys like Bergkamp,Giggs and Ronaldinho swear so for someone with a poisonous tongue like Mourinho,nothing special about it.
Theres hardly any saint in this world,to find someone that don't swear in the game of football?Tell me about it.There are more important issues such as stopping racism and quality of football to be concern with than this ettiquite problem.
Cheers
Hahaha, seems like dear Maureen is at it again. Sometimes I just love that guy so much. Well, apparently he feels that just because he's a naturally vulgar person, he should thus not be punished for using vulgarities at the ref? Hmm... well, as lame as the excuse seems, he does make some sense. In a way.
For instance, I'm one who has never sworn using the F word at anyone before. So if I ever give you 'the first of my life', you should definitely take offence (or feel honoured) at that. But if one is like my boyfriend (who coincidentally is an Aquarius like Maureen), who includes the F word in practically every phrase and sentence (such that it can even be used to denote happy expressions), you just have to learn to ignore it and mentally censor his speech whenever he speaks.
At the end of the day, I feel it's down to Riley on whether he felt offended. Apparently he wasn't, since he didn't mention it in the ref report. It sounds magnanimous of him, but just imagine if he headbutted Maureen for indirectly insulting his mum! Haha!
Anyway, I get called a bitch all the time. Bah.
(I don't know why the entire thing got deleted earlier when I tried posting... Almost swore when I realised an hour later it wasn't posted and I had to retype this!!!)
It does seem that only in football would swearing be considered normal and most of the time, they get away with it. Depending on the social environment, the British and Europeans are an open-minded society. Hence, swearing is accepted as part of the game. In Asia, however, if we were to try that during a game, chances are we will get booked.
However, generally in society, swearing would not be condoned anywhere, especially when millions of viewers are watching which includes children. Definitely when tensions are high and born out of frustration, people tend to vent it out. But I don't think the sporting arena should be used as a catharsis for bad behavior and maybe it does need to be addressed.
There must a certain level of decorum towards the officials. Swearing at officials is not acceptable and it is offensive, whether it’s meant or not. If a sport like rugby is able to ensure players toe the line with officials, I don't see why football can't.
Football is already blighted by racism and on-field brawling. This stems from allowing bad behavior to exist in the game. While swearing may seem harmless, football will be better off without it.
It does seem that only in football would swearing be considered normal and most of the time, they get away with it. Depending on the culture, the British and Europeans have an open-minded society. Hence, swearing is accepted as part of the game. In Asia, however, we will get booked if we were to try that in a game.
However, swearing would not be condoned in any society outside of sports. With millions of viewers watching, including children, it puts football in bad light. When tensions are high, people tend to vent out their frustration. However, the sporting arena should be used as a catharsis for bad behavior. It is foolhardy to think we can eradicate this overnight but it does need to be addressed.
There must a certain level of decorum towards the officials. Swearing at officials is not acceptable and it is offensive, whether it’s meant or not. If a sport like rugby is able to ensure players toe the line with officials, I don't see why football can't.
Football is already blighted by racism and on-field brawling. This stems from allowing bad behavior to exist. While swearing may seem harmless, football will be better off without it.
Swearing on field is a yellow card offense isn't it? Swearing off field is considered as an expression of passion unless of course, directed at someone, it becomes abusive. Since Mike Riley did not really understand Portuguese, it was not considered vulgar.
Swearing seemed like a common lingo at the National Stadium during the Asean Cup Final. Still remember the Beep Beep Beep Beep... Beep Beep XXXXX! It's all about not crossing the line and becoming personal. That's why football is all about passion! Managers are only human, in split second of frustration and tremendous pressures, it's understandable that undesirable words do get uttered out.
Haha..the television viewers can't really hear the managers from where they are, can they? I did not know about this incident till it was reported. For me, either Riley did not think its enough to report it or he simply did not understand what it meant.
Where do we draw the line? From swearings to brawls (Valencia V Inter), spitting to rough challenges (Thatcher on Mendes), we have seen it all lately. You can't really expect the footballers to be role models when emotions run high. Even a mild mannered man like Zidane can be guilty of a headbutt at the biggest stage for a footballer. Players these days are as guilty of winding up the opposition as they are of the above offences. In a way, soccer helps people to grow up. The youngsters have to judge for themselves what is good and what not. You can't really attribute learning to swear to soccer. I am sure, if one wants to be influenced, he can learn it from anywhere today-the movies, friends, on the streets, in short, anywhere. Its the state of mind that controls how one behaves. Like in the army, one can decide to learn to curse if one wants to. Ditto for smoking. If one thinks that there is nothing wrong with any of the actions, he will do it regardless of where he learns it from. The difference then lie in education. If youngsters are educated that cursing and swearing is wrong, they will not do it just because their idols do it. The mature ones will probably not do it all. The less mature ones will probably learn sooner or later as they grow. We do not see Zidane fans going round headbutting people, do we?
Cheers,
kel
If we wanna set a rule for managers not to swear, then we should have rules as well for the players.
We have Rooney with his favourite "effing offs", the Argentines and Spanish players constant usage of "Bastardo" or over here where we have Malay and Hokkien swear words being used especially in the military or uniformed groups. Heck, the TV cameras once zoomed at our then-national captain Nazri Nasir swearing when he missed a sitter.
Swearing is part of everyday life. It's a way of letting off steam. Whilst it is frowned upon, then if anyone wants to start a rule about not cussing, then it should be uniformed off the pitch as well. And they could start off first and foremost with the military where swearing is like a second language already in the conversations.
So long as no one is offended, then it should be overlooked as a way of letting off pent up emotions, no matter how crude or negative you perceive that person who uttered it to be.
Live and let live. There are other bigger problems than just managers or players being bad influences to kids watching. Songs nowadays too have swear words, our parents at times also let loose when they are angry or frustrated. There are many ways where our kids can learn to swear, not just thru watching Mourinho, Rooney et al...
I don't understand why swearing should be a booking. Why? Are the referees really teachers who will punish the children on the field? I don't think so. Its like you, seeing another adult saying "F---!". What do you do, are you one of those pathetic souls who go "Or-haw!!! You said the f-word!!" Come on, give me a break. Of course, if the language used has caused so much of an insult to the opposition player, thus inciting him, then the player deserved to be booked. Sorry to sidestep a little but another thing is the booking for over-celebration. How in the world is taking off your shirt or diving into your own crowd of supporters dangerous? Why do they deserve a booking, for enjoying the moment? As long as it does no harm, I don't think any of these bookings are necessary at all.
How exactly is silencing a manager and players for the matter, can help improve the manners of "impressionable youngsters? (who I am sure, don't just watch football on tv and don't watch football just to learn some new foul words.) Its like we're in school all over again. Come on, we're adults. Football fans ALL OVER THE WORLD feel swearing at the stadium during a match is pretty much the norm. I can't see why us, as being asians, should feel any different.
If swearing is considered acceptable in society, much less in football, then society has issues. Bad behavior manifests itself through the little things. While swearing may seem minute, it’s these little things that contribute to more aggressive and provocative behavior.
Zidane’s infamous head-butting debacle was a result of Materazzi’s “intelligent” language regarding Zizou’s sisters. It is viewed as gamesmanship but if it offends somebody, it has no business in the game. The whole rationale behind swearing is to offend the other party and it could lead to unnecessary provocation.
Even if swearing does help relieve tension, should it be directed at another person? While we cannot eradicate swearing altogether from football, there is a difference between blowing off steam and calling somebody a son of a whore. It is offensive and uncalled for and no different to racial slurs.
No doubt referees don’t help the cause sometimes with inept officiating but there must a line one shouldn’t cross. Managers have to set a good example for their players. If players see the manager having a go at the referee, they too will feel its right to do so as well. Sports shouldn’t be treated a catharsis for bad behaviour.
I always post but never win one leh..just kidding..anyway I feel there's nothing wrong with managers expressing their feelings..I'm not really a fan of Chelsea but I'm an admirer of Mourinho..For once,he's trueful and not like some whiner(hint* hint*) who blames this and that for when his team losese..
I think managers are an icon of the beautiful game..Just imagine they are emotionless and sit down there and just raises his hands when his team scores,how boring would it be?
Don't we remember the epic scenes when Marcelo Lippi smokes his cigar,Fabio Capello shouting at his team,Alex Ferguson chewing his gum and that famous Howard Kendall clampas his hands when Everton escaped relegation?Or even Marco Van Basten's gesture in the recent WC..Those are the moments we savour,just imagine footbal without emotions?
Maybe most are too used to the local mindset of embarrasment in expressing their emotions but in the west is just different..Fans pray when their teams take penalties,they cry when their teams get relegated..but to me its just an expression that makes the world go round!
Another way to answer on whether managers should or should not swear is-do we really expect them to behave like librarians? I do not have anything against the librarians but by that i mean prim and proper. If the authorities are going to clamp down on this just because a manager utters a word that is deemed explicit, why not clamp down on spitting in case the young spit out there on the roads. I see spitting as an even bigger social and hygiene problem. With the diseases it can spread from the phlegm. Why not include in the referee's report that Fergie spits his gum on the floor at the fulltime whistle after each match.
I am not saying that swearing should be condoned but i absolutely see nothing wrong with swearing but perhaps not at the expense of disrupting the flow of the game. As i mentioned earlier, what makes one think that people will not learn to swear just because they watch soccer? Honestly, i think they can't hear anything. Often from my position in front of the television, it just seems like a spoilt kid complaining. Perhaps its the media who magnify such instances and bring it to the attention of everyone when they write about it. At least swearing still beats raising arms. Now, that would be excessive. Flashback to the touchline row between a certain Mr. Wenger and Mr. Pardew would be too much. Not Mourinho VS Riley. Think we are pretty used to such occurences.
cheers,
kel
managers and their mouths..two things that could never be separated..
anyway, players get booked and fined for swearing. managers shouldn't be any different. however,it's difficult to tell a swear word from a normal exclamation especially if it's not in your own tongue.
usually managers like mourinho swear not because they really mean to insinuate the referee or officials or their opponents, but more because they're passionate about the game. hey, even that happens in the Kallang crowd. and nobody cards the whole crowd, do they?
they should just let it be. it's part and parcel of the expression of passion for the game, as long as it's not directly aimed at anyone. they do censor it on tv, and not everyone can lip-read fast enough to catch what the managers are saying. but when those words hurt like in the World Cup Final, that really needs action. it's not just the swearing, it was hinting on insinuating the opponent's pride and family.
let's just leave the swearing in the game. that's what makes football exciting. and besides, our youngsters are already aware of those words by the time they see managers jumping up and screaming at the ref with their lips contorted to project the F sound.
however, mourinho may have left a negative impression on all youngsters who are aspiring to be like him by admitting that he swears and curses all the time, as if it's second nature. but then, let's give some due respect to the guy for being a gentleman and owing up to his mistake, no matter how annoying he is.
Agree with kel completely. That is basically the point. Why are managers singled out? Why should they be controlled when this type of behaviour has been prevalent in society?
>>If swearing is considered acceptable in society, much less in football, then society has issues.
With all due respect, theoretically in a Utopian world swearing is unethical and unacceptable. But the fact is, it is prevalent in society. Why should managers be singled out to speak politely wherever they are, when MTV, movies and reality tv practically emphasise the usage of such words? After all, football is about passion, and don't tell me you have not screamed the mildest of foul words when things do not go your team's way.
>>Bad behavior manifests itself through the little things. While swearing may seem minute, it’s these little things that contribute to more aggressive and provocative behavior.
But you have to realise, that swearing aren't just spewed out of nothing. What causes swearing? Unsatisfaction. What causes unsatisfaction? It can come from many sources, from poor ref decisions, to poor luck, to unsportsmanship behaviour like tugging of shirt or even to whacking with the arms. So what should we do? Stop everyone from doing all this provocative behaviour to stop them from cursing? It is prevalent in everyday life. I feel it is unfair that managers have to keep silent when everyone else does it. Even the fans in the stadium.
Take for example, the (in)famous touchline shhh-ing to the Liverpool fans by Jose after the own goal. He was sent off from the pitch for inciting the Liverpool fans. But what many of those on tv did not realise, was that he was the victim of jeering and insults and foul language for over 70 mins. What did he do, a usually harmless signal. But it still did incite the fans. So do we have to stop anyone from doing anything that could possibly incite anyone? Of course not. When you see a manager sliding at the touchline when his team has scored an important goal at the last minute of injury time, its bound to make you angry. Should we stop him from doing anything?
The list goes on. What if the manager screamed with joy? It surely would rile some people up. Should they be kept silent? These people are grown ups. I'm sure they can handle this sort of behaviour. If they can't and things get out of hand, of course they deserve to be sent off.
so basically from what I read here, it's ok to call someone a son of a bitch in any language and get away with it? if that person take offence, just tell them I'm venting my frustration and everything ok? how cool is that :P
What I am saying, simply, is nobody deserves to be called a son of a whore. The normal F off which players and managers often spew may in general context be acceptable forms of venting out frustration or swearing but to call someone a son of a bitch or whore? Riley maybe incompetent but come on, nobody deserves to be called such.
Of course, we don't want passion-less managers, I understand in the heat of passion we say things we don't mean and football is about passion after all. But even if we wish to curse, it shouldn't be degrading.
For instance, Henry was called a "black shit" by Spain's manager not too long ago. We don't want that in the game, be it from fans, players or managers. We cannot control what people say but simply put, if you want to curse, do it with class (if there is such a thing hahaha :P)
Hm...Hadi,you meaning cursing in some classy language such as French so that even when you curse at someone,that will somehow sounds nicer?haha.Just joking.
Anyway we shall thanks Mourinho for introducing us a new Portuguese word so that we will know the meaning of that when someone uses that on us the next time.Of course like what Hadi said,the game will be better off without these cursing and swearing.However is such contact sports,when tackles are flying on the field and tension running high on the touchline,managers are under tremendous pressure.After all they are human,they need to release that pressure in them.Alright,they can't smoke(at least we don't see that in England)
nor drink on the sideline,so I guess a bit of swearing won't hurt so long it don't really hurt someone,although that will have much to depend on the party on the receving end of the swearing eh.
>>What I am saying, simply, is nobody deserves to be called a son of a whore.
Agreed completely. If the curse becomes insulting and/ or racist, it could get a reaction from a less 'cool' individual and rightfully the instigator deserves to be booked, even sent off if he repeatedly does it. The victim can also be cautioned for failure to control behaviour. It all depends on how the instigated reacts. Which makes a booking even more subjective.. haha it gets complicated doesn't it.
Even though I'm not someone who excessively uses the colourful language, ahh, come on!! No offence, but I always envisioned those who condemn swearing in football as someone who doesn't really know the game, and goes around with his nose pointing high up in the air, frowning upon all the uncouth behaviour, shaking his head and muttering, "Tsk tsk..."
Please, most "impressionable youngsters" don't even learn their swear language from football in the first place! That four-letter Malay word often heard in the National Stadium is the only vulgar word I learnt from this particular sport.
And regarding the use of that word, I've heard that some people complained about how terribly uncouth and "improper"(*tsk tsk*) it was for the fans to be chanting it so loud it could be heard on TV. My reaction to that was almost like, "What the...?" Come on... if you were there, you'd understand it was just HARMLESS fun. Singaporeans are sometimes too law-and-rule-abiding, and love to complain too much. It wasn't as if we were killing other people, yet people still find the need to COMPLAIN about such trivial issues. You know, many English clubs even have songs that include vulgar words. A good example is the Ste Gerrard song, in which he is described as being "f---ing hard"!
LadyLala, FYI that 4-letter word you learnt at the National Stadium is actually a 5-letter word used by Indonesians and Malay linguists in everyday speech. It means "In need of something".
The beauty or ugly part of language is that it could mean one thing in one language and a negative one in another. So it's up to us to do our homework before shooting our mouths off...
P.S. Did anybody watch the exhibition game this morning??? United's play in the first half reminded me so much of Arsenal when in full flow. Even though tackles were held back in the spirit of the game, still it was a joy to watch for football fans alike. It should have been a 5-5 draw. Great fightback from the European All-Stars team...
Managers and their mouths is like fish and water, they never can be separated. Managers like Sir Alex and Jose Mourinho are the epitome of managers. These are the kind of manager we want to see.Full of passion and antics. So what if a few swear words were uttered in passion. It just shows that the managers feel in a game just like us.
In fact I don't think that youngsters could really learn swear words by lip reading from a football game as the camera zoom in on the managers like for 5 seconds(except Mourinho as he is the "special" one hehe). Even experts in lip reading need more time than that to catch what a person is saying. The youngsters are probably learning more swear words at the Kopitiam from those "Ah peks" watching the match and they don't even have to lip read, just need to listen heehe
Swear words are up to individual to judge whether its offensive or not. If the words are said in frustration or anger then I don't think that they really mean what they are saying. But if the words are meant to hurt someone feelings, insult their race and family that is when you have crossed over to the dark side and deserved to be punished. As they say "Words are sharper than a sword"
Lizawati Taini
23
Catalog specialist
LIVERPOOL
Hmm... Thanks PM, but I thought that word (the 5-letter word) meant er... some body part? Actually I didn't know the meaning of the word until my father came along with us to the M'sia match recently. It was then he told us the word belonged to the "4-letter words category" and referred to some male body part or something. His Malay isn't too good, but well, it's better than mine...
Anyway, while I certainly know it's rude and shouldn't be learnt by kids, I think swear language is really too common nowadays. And to me, there are more pressing issues in football that we should be concerned with than impolite language. For this incident, I feel it's up to Riley's interpretation. If he didn't feel offended (obviously he must know what Mourinho was saying now that everyone has translated it for him), I don't see why we should be more concerned than the "victim" himself.
God knows which person evolved that B-word into a part of the Males' anatomy. Trust me, Malay teachers and linguists are squirming at the thot of its evolution... Hahahah
Oh well, I have no idea!! I admit I don't know the true meaning of the word, though from what I see, its meaning seems more closely related to that of an obscenity now. Haha! Well... words always seem to evolve in meaning. A 'bitch' used to refer to a dog, but now the meaning's closer to that of a loose woman. Similarly, the f word actually means... Hahaha, never mind. But it's used in practically every sense now. So what's deemed to be vulgar isn't actually one in its true meaning, but well that's why I feel cursing and swearing isn't that serious a problem in the first place...
At the end of the day it boils to whether you understand what is being said. If you don't understand, it will be pass off as a fart.Haha.Swearing becomes offensive when it results in provocation. If it does not draw a response, it becomes meaningless. A friendly word spoken in an unfriendly tone can have far greater consequence than an unfriendly word spoken in a friendly tone. =)
Football is a game filled with testerone and high stakes. It not surprising to see people react so strongly to events that happen on the fill. Every response is magnified during the game. But that doesn't make it justifiable though.
Jose Mourinho seems to have a pretty big mouth, on and off the field. Even when there are no matches, there'll still be newspaper reports on what he's saying. He's more chatty than aunties at the market.
asking them to curb their swearing is like asking singaporeans to give up their seats to the more neeedy in our mrt...
its no use..
then,
banning them from using the foul words takes the passion out of the game..
so, just let them be.
its after all...
FOOTBALL.
Sometimes even words which sound harmless could be insulting to others.What matters here is whether the words hit the sore spot of the receiver.
I remember Fowler taunting Le Saux some times ago with some gay jibes in a match.We may see it as funny but to Le Saux its definately provoking him.If its just normal swearing by Fowler perhaps Le Saux will just return Fowler some appreciation of his but everyone who watched the aftermaths of that incident should know what happened.
>>Jose Mourinho seems to have a pretty big mouth, on and off the field. Even when there are no matches, there'll still be newspaper reports on what he's saying. He's more chatty than aunties at the market.
Poor Jose is blamed when reporters want to constantly write about him everyday. Its just too bad, he is too charismatic and too much of a character, stories about him always sell.
Mark my words, the day he leaves the premiership, the British press will miss him.
Cursing and swearing is very common in football games.
From fans to even managers and the players. They all do curse or swear whenever a decison made by the referee, wrongly or correctly,goes against their team.
For the fans, this show how passionate and involved are they in the game. They feel for the decisions which the referee award against the team they support. A good example is the AFC semi-final match between Singapore and Malaysia.
Although managers and players who swear on the pitch do influence the young ones watching the beautiful game. But these are bits and pieces which spice up the game of football.
Imagine football without managers like Mourinho who dare to speak his mind. It would be ultimately boring.
Cursing, swearing and spewing vulgarities on the pitch. I’d say, what is new?
Foul and abusive language has always been somewhat ingrained in numerous cultures, what’s more for a fiery and explosive stage like the English Premiership? With stakes raised sky-high, managers continually have to fend off overwhelming pressure from the fans and battle against overbearing chairmen breathing down their necks.
Be it an accidental slip of the tongue, a spur of the moment lapse or merely venting their frustrations in the most primitive manner, the English FA may choose to hold the moral high ground by stamping down on the gaffers’ errant behaviour by citing the impressionable youths watching the game. This may seem fair enough, but will this stem and completely eradicate the roots of this evil?
Football is a passionate game where emotions run high and the minutest of details could swing the pendulum in favour of either side in the twinkle of an eye. Hence, it is of no surprise that the managers launch into the occasional verbal spat with opposing managers or in exchanging tirades with the officials in order to make themselves heard.
Touchline bans, hefty fines and stern warnings have all been dished out. Although the kind intentions behind it all are commendable, one cannot help but admit that it will be all futile at the end of the day.
midweek topic
“Filho da puta” as much as he (Mourinho) wants. But he should try to do it more discreetly or the cameras shouldn’t purposely flash at the managers’ reactions during controversies in the game if we’re trying to benefit the impressionable youngsters.
Mourinho says the word even when the ball hits the post. He says it in reflex to whatever mishap they faced. No evil intentions to any particular individual. It is targeted more at the bad decision or outcome(notably in Mike Riley's case). A bad habit of swearing he has we can say.
Morever, it is this that gives Mourinho more character, doesn’t it? We all can feel his charisma, don’t we? Even just by watching him on TV. What more? It gives more controversial news to the media to hoo-hah about. That what the media wants, doesn’t it?
So can we really blame Mourinho and fellow managers for their foul mouths? Or the media? None should be blamed. Really. Because both play an important role in making soccer the best and most popular sport in the world. With more drama.
What about the impressionable youngsters? They can easily be educated to know what is right and wrong. The media itself can help educate them. Swearing can never be curbed to extinction as long as humans have the emotion “anger”. They will come to grow up one day and know all their swearing words. So education about these should be treated just like “sex” education taught in schools.
Managers use them. Players use them. Swear words are synonymous with football. However, this practice should be curbed, especially in front of young audiences.
Children are just too impressionable. Not only are they unable to differentiate right from wrong, but they also tend to pick up swear words and violent behaviour readily. Studies by Bandura and others have proven this. Some children may idolise football managers like Mourinho and they’ll want to imitate what they perceive as “cool” rantings by these managers, even if such utterings are in Portuguese or any other language.
So there should be a non-swearing code of conduct - for both players, as well as managers. I remember that when Beckham first moved to Spain, he couldn't speak a word of Spanish. And the first Spanish words that his team-mates taught him were Spanish swear words which he unwittingly repeated to the referee. This landed him a yellow card even though he swore unintentionally. So just like Beckham, if managers swear, they should also be handed some form of punishments.
Football managers are influential and like players, they are often idolised. Therefore they should act as proper role models and control their temper and aggression.
Yes,managers should curb their foul mouths.As there are millions of impressionable youngsters like me who pick up the words.It would not do their reputation good if they are looking for a new manageral role at another club.Take Morrino for an example, before he came, chealsea were the underdogs in the EPL and were respectable under Ranieri's reign,but when Jose arrived, he may have bought Cech,Robben,Drogba and Essien and others.Perhaps the only mistake Josse made was buying Mutu, he was tested positive for drugs and was banned for quite some time. Although I'm a Liverpool fan I think Josse is the best manager to come into the EPL.Take his sighning of cheques, he knew that if Chealsea doesn't score,atleast he has a reliable goal keeper to keep a clean sheet and get a draw out of stronger teams but his foul mouth have earned nothing but criticism from them media.Maybe some die-hard Chealsea fans might have converted from a chealsea fan to another club's fan after their friends make fun of the blues and criticise Mourinho. Chelsea could have been more respectable if Mourinho had shut his mouth on some occasions.
Yes,managers should curb their foul mouths.As there are millions of impressionable youngsters like me who pick up the words.
Haha..knowing that its wrong, why do u still want to pick up those words? But at least you do know that mouthing these words is wrong.
Anyway, I am sure you did not hear these words from your seat in front of the television. The truth is the British media is responsible for this unwanted publicity. Mourinho for one gets all the unwanted attention even for little things he does. When Mourinho speaks, everyone listens. We have seen instances like Paul Jewell who mouthed expletives at the referee after the game against Arsenal. True, he was called up by the FA but all the mention it got in the papers was a small article. We all know how big this affair was when this was given more coverage when say, the brawl that happened when inter played valencia.
I guess you can set a thousand and one rules and punishments but at the end of the day, managers and players are only human. Yes, i do agree that their behaviour is being idolised by many out there. But instead of relying of these sports personalities to educate the youngsters, the educational system should be more responsible for educating these youngsters that what they are doing is wrong. The sports people are only being paid to do what they do best-and that's to play the game well. Not to hold their tongues. Not targetting anyone but if you know its wrong and you still do it, something is really wrong with you. In short, what people need now is to be alittle bit more understanding that the people concerned are only humans and not kick up a fuss out of nothing.
Cheers,
kel
Well Eric, cursing in French does help. I heard the French are skilled cursers, hence the term "pardon my French" ? :P
Personally, if anyone should be made an example of a cursing-free gaffer, it should be Neil Warnock. His words are as colorful as a leprechaun's rainbow. How many times have we seen referees and officials at the end of his crass tirade?
The youths of today exposed to the world through the magic of the media and technology. Youths are impressionable beings and they will idolize celebrities and sportsmen due to the excessive media exposure this people get.
Footballers like Beckham and Ronaldinho are fully aware of this as well and they exploit their popularity and reputation by marketing themselves as idols. They are aware of the influence they wield and it's foolhardy to think it's alright to make money out of these youths but if you curse or have tattoos like me, I will not be responsible.
Schools do teach kids the rights and the wrongs but media exposure and marketing machines influences kids to take these sports stars as role models. Even if parents and teachers do tell youths these are not the role-models you should be idolizing, it's really up to the kids to decide isn't it?
Hence, being public figures, sports stars have a responsibility in the way they act and behave. It comes with the territory.
There are many words to scold anybody. It is sad that swear words are used so repeatedly that it becomes the language of footballers or managers. To use the excuse that soccer is a game of passion and freely use swear words is lame. What if swear words accidentally spills on to your working life? That's what happened to me when I receive repeated swear words from a colleague during my argument with him. After that, my personal relationship with him ended.
A very wise men said this more than 3000 years ago " The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit from Proverbs 18:21 (New International Version)"
Dear friends, if you do not use swear words, do not start using it. It can be habit forming.
By the way, although I admire Jose Mourinho, he has now lost my respect.
I think how the managers want to behave is all up to themselves. We have managers shouting wildly at the touchline while some prefer to sit at the dug out analysing the match.
Anyway we can't really see what the managers are saying. Unless you're a good lip-reader, the managers will just look like they are just mumbling and grumbling about decisions that go against them.
Players swear on the pitch as well, more to their frustrations when they miss a chance or what. It's the players who are more watched than the managers, so if efforts are being put in to stop swearing in the game, it should be targeted at the players first.
-Raymond Ng, Man U fan
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