Is there a common language between football/soccer players?

Question

No, really. Watching the World Cup and I see lots of players talking to lots of other players. Does everyone know Spanish or French or English or Tagolog or Farsi or what?
And what about the refs: Are refs required to know a bunch of languages?
What's the deal here?

It would be really great if answerers referenced a source. Thanks.

Answer 1

There is no one official language of football. However, English is being encouraged among referees so that there is better communication.

FIFA recognises English, French, German and Spanish as the official languages of the organisation but players and officals are not required to use these while on the field.

A new feature of the 2006 Woold Cup is to have all the referees for a particular game be of the same nationality so that they are able to communicate more effectively with each other.

Maybe in the future, there will be some requirement for player communication.

Answer 2

There is no "official" language that everyone is expected to know.

But remember, football/soccer is such a global game. You have players from one country going around different countries to play club football, picking up different languages as he goes. A player from Brazil for instance might play a few seasons in Spain, then England, then Germany. You will be amazed how multilingual some of the best players are.

So in an international football match, chances are,when two well-travelled veteran players from the opposing side meet, there is at least one common language they can both speak. Often it is English or Spanish due to the primacy of the English and Spanish leagues. I don't suppose it's Tagalog or Farsi. :)

That applies to the referees too. They have to know English and/or Spanish as they are the most widely used languages.

Answer 3

actually, no... its not english or anything like that. Soccer has no 'official language' between the players and refs but the referee crew usually speaks the language. Also referees are sometimes chosen if they don't speak the language for intense games so they can stay clear of the emotions of name calling, etc. but they are also generally versed in insults, curse words, and what might be seen as offensive gestures or actions in the areas they are officiating in. The two primary languages referees are kind of asked to have a basic proficiency is english and spanish. Most players know one of the two, either it being their native tongue or learning it in school.
Also with how global the game has come many players are multi-lingual because you may have an American player, playing in Germany, traded to a Spanish team, and then be on the bus to Italy within a month, so generally players have basic language skills in many European languages.

Answer 4

English

Answer 5

English

Answer 6

Most players play outside their own country, so they would probably know how to speak a little of at least one other language. Spanish and italian are very similar, so those who know one can easily understand the other, and english is a universal language, which most know. Not 100% sure about all the other umpires, but i do know that the Argentine umpires that are at Germany had to learn english. Apart from that, lots of players at the WC play in the same clubs or in opposing clubs, so they would know each other as team mates or advesaries on the pitch. That's prob why you see players talking to each other. They're not strangers that just happen to meet at the WC. Of course, there's always universal sign language, hehe ;-)

Answer 7

These answers are incorrect. There is not a universal language for players; the referees however are required to speak and understand English. International clubs are able to use their own native tongues; the captain of each squad typically must understand some degree of English to speak to the refs when situations arise. But there is not mandate that [players] use English

Answer 8

I agree that most of the players probably use English. It is true that most European countries require study of the English language, so it wouldn't be anything new to them. Even if they hadn't taken courses in it, think about it-- you play enough games, you would just pick up on tid bits of the language as well. Not to mention, there are only a few words you'd need to know... foul, goal kick, offsides... whatever.

Answer 9

It is English in the World Cup. Do you really think the American players speak French to the Refs? or England? But I can almost guarrentee you that the German players all speak English, maybe not well, but enough. People in Europe are generally required to learn English... but not nessacerily other languages.

Answer 10

There is another language being used -- audible and visual signs -- a sign language.

The whistle
The time out sign (the arm T)
The yellow card (stop what you are doing, this is a warning)
The red card (you were in egregious violation of a rule, you are out of the game)

The yellow card and red card and other cues are meant to communicate at a distance and in cases where no other language in common exists. Read the bottom of the FIFA page below.