There have always been the odd examples of poor behaviour in cricket - Javed Miandad clipping Dennis Lillee with his bat, Michael Holding kicking over the stumps, Mark Illott and Robert Croft pushing each other during a particularly heated one-day game between Essex and Glamorgan. These transgressions generally result in a cascade of condemnation from all and sundry involved in the game whilst the offending players apologise profusely for sullying the good name of cricket.
Compare these misdemeanours with the events of The Carling Cup Final last weekend and you realise the difference in discipline between cricket and some other sports. The 'All In Brawl', which revolves around players from both sides pushing and jostling each other knowing they'll get adequate back-up from a multitude of supposed peacemakers, has become the in-fashion in professional football these days. Not a match seems to go by without one of these anarchic flare-ups taking place, and the irony is that with the once violent football terraces now relatively peaceful, the players themselves have gleefully taken up the mantle to ensure some element of spiteful confrontation remains part of our national game.
The poor old referee tries in vain to calm things down before showing the inevitable red cards to the main protagonists, who then turn their wrath on him before being dragged away to the touchline by their respective team's coaching staff. More abuse follows for the man in black, as both managers then decide to get stuck into him with a volley of vitriol from the sidelines. Even at the games conclusion, the referee's authority continues to be undermined during the post match interviews when one manager slates him for making various decisions whilst the other criticises him for not making enough.
Such is the chaotic culture of modern football, a game that used to be amongst my own favourites but with every dissent-ridden match I see, slips further down my interest level. Will there be a time when parents desert football in their droves in search of a sport which will teach their children better values? If so, thank goodness for cricket, which despite the odd blip ,still manages to combine fierce competition with a respect for the men making the decisions out in the middle.
Let's hope things stay that way....
Wello
