There will always be foul language in football. Rightly so

The fallout from the decision on the John Terry racism case is in full swing; most of it largely pretty inevitable.

The Football Association's reaction to consider disciplinary action against Terry for bringing the game into disrepute was largely predictable although dragging Anton Ferdinand into it too seems a bit excessive to this observer but that's another story.

Footballers and their seeming inability to keep their mouths shut when really they should be more intelligent and tactful was equally predictable but that's also another matter entirely.

Another fallout that one hardly needed a crystal ball to envisage is a campaign to clamp down on bad language in the game which has appeared to begin after comments made yesterday by PFA chairman Clarke Carlisle.
Carlisle said: “I don't agree it should be that way. If players were sent off and banned because of the language, it would cause them to address their behaviour. It would cause the clubs to clamp down on it too."

The 32-year-old added: "In order to change it, it would take a very strong line from the referees, a very strong line from the governing bodies and it would probably cause mayhem for the short-term period. We do have the regulations within the game in order to stamp out any kind of foul and abusive language but they are just not enforced to the nth degree."

Now, without wishing to come across as a hypocrite, earlier this week, this blogger took a pop at the dull nature of 'banter' in football which came out from the exchanges reported in the Terry trial. The endless “c**ts” and “f**ks” repeated time and time again between professionals is tedious but the nature of this situation is different to the argument there should be no swearing in football at all.

The argument goes that footballers are role models to young people and so should control their behaviour and therefore the words that come out of their mouths.

The problem comes from the fact that no-one can completely hold their tongue in highly charged circumstances (we're talking about bad language here, not offensive language such as racist or homophobic remarks which have no place in football).

Ask yourself, have you never sworn in a work-related environment due to stress or anger? Everyone tries to keep themselves as clean-mouthed as possible but just occasionally you have to have a good old swearing session to ease the stress.

Just because footballers happen to perform in an environment where cameras are on them all through their working day does not mean they should be exempted from using bad language.

To ask footballers to do something that many of us cannot do ourselves is somewhat hypocritical, regardless of the role that the profession plays in society.

Yes, children can be influenced by the actions of footballers and the words they use but whenever I went to football as kid, the rule was whatever you hear at the game stays at the game.

There probably is too much swearing in football between players of the game and between players and refeeres which hints at a lack of respect between all those involved in the game and there should be steps taken towards curtailing the excesses of foul language at football but there should never be a situation where it is completely absent from football and thus over-sanitising football which needs, like all sports, something of an aggressive edge to it.

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