Rugby referee Nigel Owens says that soccer must address the lack of respect shown on the field to the officials and between the players themselves.
Recent controversies in the English Premier League and Champions League have brought the issue to the fore, with scenes of players surrounding and hounding officials, and incidents of players trying to con referees becoming more commonplace.
Owens, who refereed the final Six Nations game between England and France, told RTÉ Sport: “I think that’s one issue that soccer needs to address. The respect that the players have for each other on the field and the respect that they show the officials as well.
“It’s not acceptable really, because football, more than any other sport in the world, has a bigger influence on society and everyday life and young children’s lives, in looking up to their heroes, and it has the duty to show that [respect].
“Rugby can’t take the moral high-ground because we’ve got things that we need to improve on as well. Certainly the respect in rugby is there and it needs to be maintained and kept, [it’s] an integral part of the whole game. There’s no doubt about that."
He added: “We’ve seen the odd occasion over the last 18 months where we've seen a few players trying to buy a penalty or take a dive but I think what rugby does is, and all credit to the governing bodies, when these incidents do come along they deal with it firmly and fairly and we stamp it out and that’s one of the important things.
“Rugby can’t take the moral high-ground because we’ve got things that we need to improve on"
“We can’t lose the respect for each other.
“Society today is lacking one important thing, respect, and the same goes for sport as well.
“Rugby is the type of sport where you can’t continue with the physical game, [with] how hard it is out there if you don’t have mutual respect for each other.
“The players on the field, the fans as well are mixed in the stadiums, that respect has to be there and the respect for the officials as well.
“Rugby has that core value and it’s important that rugby maintains that.”
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