Why can't footballers respect the refs like rugby players do ?

Question

Why is it that ruby players respect the referee, call him "sir", and don't chat back or swear at the ref, but footballers constatntly verbally abuse and question the referees decision, and surround him to intimidate ?

Answer 1

I love football - but you are right, this is a very annoying habit that the players have. Referees should book anyone who questions a decision or abuses the officials for dissent or ungentlemanly conduct. Maybe even introduce a sin-bin for such an offence?
Even thick overpaid footballers will eventually learn respect if they are constantly being banned!

Answer 2

Well I am a huge Rugby fan as well as Rugby League fan as much as I am a football fan, and you are seriously kidding yourself if you think players at club or International level in all these codes don't have temper flair ups and challenge referee's and their decisions. It is not just footballers(soccer players) that show disrespect towards referee's. I mean holy cow come and watch an Australian Rugby League match any weekend and you will see plenty of confrontations between players and referee's. However there are much more severe penalties in Union and League for players, coaches and clubs should they go too far. Huge fines, suspensions etc for bringing the game into disrepute. A Union player was a couple of years ago suspended for hitting a referee, so I hardly think that any code is perfect. besides who else are they supposed to blame...themselves...never...LOL

Kirsun10...you make a good and valid point when mentioning that Rugby players do hold an incredible amount of respect for each other. Especially the Wallabies, All Blacks and the Springboks in the recent Tri Nations Tournament. None under estimate the ability of the other.

Answer 3

Overpaid is right, but in rugby the aggression is taken out in the game with the scrum and the tackle, not with a ponsy trip up by the overshot leg of the opponent.
There are no fanciful falls in rugby where a player who has tripped and is in so much pain that he lies on the floor apparently needing casualty treatment, then the coach comes along gives water talks to the player, and as if by miracle the player is up and running again.
Rugby is a game if you fall you fall hard, and if you cannot take it go and play football.
The players know that the game is of respect of each others strength, and in all terms the ref is there only to score and mark, not to argue over a little kick on the ankle.

Answer 4

because football players, the people running football arent from the same background as rugby (union) players

it also reflects the obscene amount of money in the game, where its vitally important to win at any cost. it relfects the obscene amount of money paid to players which makes them remote form normal human life and makes them believe they are above the law - int e same way that some corporate fat cats ignore rules they don't like.

managers don't encourage cheating in Rugby

players know there is very little sanction if they are caught cheating. if the dive in the penalty area they get a fantastic opportunity to either get the player sent off and / or a penalty which is a 50/50 chance of a goal.

untill recently the football authorities didn't take cheating too seriously, now they are pretending to do so, but it may be to late.

it may also reflect a certain maturity in rugby players as opposed to teenage footballers.

Answer 5

T-Ray is correct. I don't know about "the olden days", but now the refs are horrible and I have no respect for them. I don't want to be a paranoid conspirist, but I wouldn't put riggs (atleast on a play by play level) past the NoFunLeague (it IS a business, and we all know the coruption potential of Big Business). Either that or they really don't care enough to be elite at their job (seriously, the NFL should train these guys to be career referees --get the job done right or just don't bother!)

Answer 6

I saw the various footballers smiling and shaking hands with the refs at the world cup before a match, they do respect them but all the players get emotionally supercharged and a disruption or bad decision makes them overeact, it's all good fun and makes a more intense exciting game, would u really wanna watch David Beckham wiping the refs ***?

Answer 7

Because rugby players dont earn enough, c'mon do the math If you see a soccer player behaving badly and dissin the ref 80% of the time he earn mega buck, but apart from that there has always been a holiganism aspect associated with the game of soccer and the violence between the fans does actually motivate some players to be unruly because they know excatly well that their voilent fans will back them up.

Answer 8

Easy Football is a game for Gentleman played by thugs and Rugby is a game for thugs played by gentleman.

You do without doubt find that with the odd exception ( Henry,owen and a few others) find that rugby players have a higher inteligence level.Most football players are skillful rather than the sharpest tool in the box!!

Answer 9

Because football refs think they're above the game. They make obvious mistakes that cost a team the game and they are not held accountable. They're a gang of untouchables. How can you respect that?

Answer 10

Football players should respect the ref, surrounding and intimidating him needs stamping out.

The sad part is the FA will probably do FA about it.