Have Scarborough Athletic shown the top clubs what to do?

I think the real issue here is money.

Ronaldo and Drogba are both worth so much that they will never be disciplined as severely as situations may dictate. I am not making comment on how I feel about either players actions, just that punishments will be less severe for players of their caliber.

If they were sacked from teams, it would cost both the clubs and the game itself so much, that I feel these punitive measures will not be taken.

Think about your own favorite team, on most teams there are usually players that have been guilty of conduct that could get them sacked at one point or another.

Off the top of my head, I know that ManU, Chelsea, LIverpool, Real Madrid all have player(s) whose conduct could arguably merit discharge from the club.

On a side note

My personal feelings about the issue are simple: I think that players should be treating officials with more respect, and should be punished more harshly for their conduct.

Also for this to be successful officiating needs to be held to a higher standard. There is always talk of respecting the officials. The officiating bodies and their employees also need to respect the leagues, teams, players, and the game itself. It is absolutely unacceptable for them to demand a level of respect they do, while being unable to make even the simplest of calls correctly in many cases. I’m not advocating any players negative behavior in anyway, but respect is earned, not freely given, and there is no valid reason why the officiating bodies should still be clinging to such archaic methods.

Both sides need to reach a happy medium.

The Chelsea incident should not be brought up in this context. Hopefully the Chelsea incident was a one off because the referees in that game were an absolute disgrace and needed a good belting.

lack of respect?

what about the lack of officiating? If you’ve ever played an officiated game in your life, you would know how bad officiating impacts the game. It’s enough to make your blood boil. I have never lost my cool with a ref b/c I don’t play at those top levels where my career is on the line.

But anyway, why not remove ALL dialogue with the ref in the first place??? If there is a dispute, captains and coaches should be able to challenge a call and have an independent source, from refs and teams, manage the issue. Obviously cap the number of times a ref can be challenged per game and you will begin to see how teams manage the officiating without being ‘disrespectful’. I don’t know – maybe i’m blowing a lot of hot air around here, but I really find the officiating in Soccer to be prehistoric.

lack of respect?

what about the lack of officiating? If you’ve ever played an officiated game in your life, you would know how bad officiating impacts the game. It’s enough to make your blood boil. I have never lost my cool with a ref b/c I don’t play at those top levels where my career is on the line.

But anyway, why not remove ALL dialogue with the ref in the first place??? If there is a dispute, captains and coaches should be able to challenge a call and have an independent source, from refs and teams, manage the issue. Obviously cap the number of times a ref can be challenged per game and you will begin to see how teams manage the officiating without being ‘disrespectful’. I don’t know – maybe i’m blowing a lot of hot air around here, but I really find the officiating in Soccer to be prehistoric.

The Chelsea incident should not be brought up in this context. Hopefully the Chelsea incident was a one off because the referees in that game were an absolute disgrace and needed a good belting.

I think the real issue here is money.

Ronaldo and Drogba are both worth so much that they will never be disciplined as severely as situations may dictate. I am not making comment on how I feel about either players actions, just that punishments will be less severe for players of their caliber.

If they were sacked from teams, it would cost both the clubs and the game itself so much, that I feel these punitive measures will not be taken.

Think about your own favorite team, on most teams there are usually players that have been guilty of conduct that could get them sacked at one point or another.

Off the top of my head, I know that ManU, Chelsea, LIverpool, Real Madrid all have player(s) whose conduct could arguably merit discharge from the club.

On a side note

My personal feelings about the issue are simple: I think that players should be treating officials with more respect, and should be punished more harshly for their conduct.

Also for this to be successful officiating needs to be held to a higher standard. There is always talk of respecting the officials. The officiating bodies and their employees also need to respect the leagues, teams, players, and the game itself. It is absolutely unacceptable for them to demand a level of respect they do, while being unable to make even the simplest of calls correctly in many cases. I’m not advocating any players negative behavior in anyway, but respect is earned, not freely given, and there is no valid reason why the officiating bodies should still be clinging to such archaic methods.

Both sides need to reach a happy medium.