Sexism in football

zierisaver

Generali wrote: »

FWIW, I am a trained FIFA referee and have had a woman be my assistant ref a few times and there was no difference in the players' behaviour towards her or me. One of them was quite happy to tell me he'd see me next Tuesday within earshot of her (he wasn't so happy when I booked him for it).

She is no more or less competant than a man doing the same job. She has done a very good job for the most part I think but it's hard for a ref to see how good the AR is at the offside decisions because you don't run the line if someone else is there to do it for you!

G&K seem to have been behaving in a way that isn't acceptable in the workplace these days so they got the sack/resigned. What they were saying and doing would have been fine 40 years ago but it isn't any more. The world changes and these 2 haven't changed with it. Equally there are plenty of things done in the workplace now that would not have been accepted 40 years ago. I'm sitting in a bank without a tie or jacket on and today called the boss by his first name. That wouldn't have been acceptable in 1971.

Good post. I'm an avid footballer and if anything I'd say that I'd have more respect for a female official - I certainly wouldn't be telling her to 'f#ck off' as I occassionally (and shamefully) do to refs on a Saturday (the fines do mount up).

lemonjelly

duckbrfc

I'd like to start a campaign to get James Richardson Richard Keys' old job and Ray Wilkins as the new 'Andy Gray' (the commentator variety, not the sexist one). It would make the football far more entertaining and they'd both be a breath of fresh air.

Some quality comments by the way, can't believe this thread hasn't had more views.

datostar

gegm wrote: »

Add to this the fact that ALL Sky Sports News presenters are good-looking women and you end up with dirty old men like Gray thinking it's ok to tell them to tuck his shirt in.

Good job she didn't though. That's where he keeps his brains.

Generali

datostar wrote: »

Good job she didn't though. That's where he keeps his brains.

That must be why there is no obvious bulge!

Generali

zierisaver wrote: »

Good post. I'm an avid footballer and if anything I'd say that I'd have more respect for a female official - I certainly wouldn't be telling her to 'f#ck off' as I occassionally (and shamefully) do to refs on a Saturday (the fines do mount up).

If someone has a proper go at me like that to my face (I have no problem with swearing on the pitch, only at officials) I'll give them a yellow usually, depending on how the match is going really. I might let them get away with it right at the end of the match if things are going pretty smoothly or if his team are getting thrashed.

If someone tells my AR to eff off, I ask the AR if they want me to give the player a red or a yellow. The player will also get an absolute rocket as will the coach if it's an age group game and if they say another word out of turn to the AR then they're straight off.

In terms of officiating, there's no reason why a man or woman would be better or worse than the other. You have to be fit but it's not particularly physically demanding at the lower levels (you run about as far as the players as a rule of thumb) and strength makes no odds. Basically you have to learn a few simple rules and have the common sense to be able to apply them with consistency and the wit to apply them with good humour, as much as the players will let you at least. Some days the players want to play, other times they want to fight and get sent off.

duckbrfc

Generali wrote: »

If someone has a proper go at me like that to my face (I have no problem with swearing on the pitch, only at officials) I'll give them a yellow usually, depending on how the match is going really. I might let them get away with it right at the end of the match if things are going pretty smoothly or if his team are getting thrashed.

If someone tells my AR to eff off, I ask the AR if they want me to give the player a red or a yellow. The player will also get an absolute rocket as will the coach if it's an age group game and if they say another word out of turn to the AR then they're straight off.

In terms of officiating, there's no reason why a man or woman would be better or worse than the other. You have to be fit but it's not particularly physically demanding at the lower levels (you run about as far as the players as a rule of thumb) and strength makes no odds. Basically you have to learn a few simple rules and have the common sense to be able to apply them with consistency and the wit to apply them with good humour, as much as the players will let you at least. Some days the players want to play, other times they want to fight and get sent off.

To be honest I'd advocate a 'sweat at the ref, yellow, swear again, red' rule. It works in rugby and, when it's been strictly applied, works in football as well. You quickly learn to bite your tongue and if you can't your team-mates go mad as the last thing they want is to play with 10 men and have to run and work harder. This would have to be applied across the board though, with total consistency, otherwise players won't know where they stand.

I agree with the earlier poster though, if the referee was female I'd be far more polite. Having said that, some of the teams I play against and the bully-boy tactics that they employ are so intimidating I'd fear for a female referee if she got a game involving them...

Generali

duckbrfc wrote: »

To be honest I'd advocate a 'sweat at the ref, yellow, swear again, red' rule. It works in rugby and, when it's been strictly applied, works in football as well. You quickly learn to bite your tongue and if you can't your team-mates go mad as the last thing they want is to play with 10 men and have to run and work harder. This would have to be applied across the board though, with total consistency, otherwise players won't know where they stand.

I agree with the earlier poster though, if the referee was female I'd be far more polite. Having said that, some of the teams I play against and the bully-boy tactics that they employ are so intimidating I'd fear for a female referee if she got a game involving them...

Swearing at a match official is 'ungentlemanly conduct' and is a yellow card offence as far as I'm concerned.

Oh, and a trick that refs often seem to miss. If someone shouts in your face, blow your whistle as hard as you can next to their ear. They go quiet very quickly and back off fast. It works to break up fights too.

StevieJ

Clarkson better watch his step

Asked backstage if he felt there were enough women on Top Gear, presenter Jeremy Clarkson quipped: "Who do you think tucks our microphone cables in?"

Emy1501

Generali wrote: »

G&K seem to have been behaving in a way that isn't acceptable in the workplace these days so they got the sack/resigned. What they were saying and doing would have been fine 40 years ago but it isn't any more. The world changes and these 2 haven't changed with it. Equally there are plenty of things done in the workplace now that would not have been accepted 40 years ago. I'm sitting in a bank without a tie or jacket on and today called the boss by his first name. That wouldn't have been acceptable in 1971.

Isn't it? Everywhere I have worked over last 15 years it is. The difference is people know when to make these comments and when not to. I would say 90% of the men I discuss football with think women haven't got a clue about football. I suspect in pubs up and down the country the same banter as Keys and Gray were having was going on. The difference is most people know when to be PC and when they can say what they really think. Its no different to the Ron Atikinson moment how many times have I heard people use the word he used in a pub.

Keys and Gray were stupid to make these comments knowing they were being taped but there is nothing to suggest so far that they would have rubbished the quality of of the girl in questions ability to do her job during a game and I highly doubt they really believed the PL would have employed someone to run the line who did not know the offside rule.