FOOTBALL CALLS FOR RESPECT
The Football League has given its support to the Football Association's Respect programme, which comes into effect on the first day of The League season, this weekend. The programme aims to improve standards of behaviour at all levels of the game.
At this week's launch Andy Williamson, The League's Chief Operating Officer, said: "It is vitally important that the professional game plays its part towards ensuring the success of this initiative. Our matches contribute towards setting the tone for the whole domestic game, with the behaviour of players and managers being re-enacted on football pitches across the country every weekend.
"This message was relayed recently to all Football League club managers at their pre-season meetings.
"Rarely before has there been such determination and solidarity across the game on these important issues. It is therefore vital that we take this opportunity to make a lasting difference."
The Respect programme represents a shared commitment between The Football Association, The Football League, the Premier League, the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA), the League Managers' Association (LMA) and Professional Game Match Officials Ltd. (PGMO), County FAs and regional and local leagues. It will see the introduction of a range of new measures designed to improve the relationship between players and match officials and conduct in the technical area.
FA Chief Executive Brian Barwick said: "I'm delighted that the whole game is working together on this issue. There is a general agreement that something has to be done to improve levels of respect, for the game's long-term health.
"Changing a culture is about long-term commitment to change negative attitudes and abusive behaviour. It needs the whole game working together to make a real difference, and that is what collectively we have done."
The key steps to be introduced in The Football League and Premier League are:
Referee managing the game, captains taking more responsibility for the behaviour of their team
Referees have been instructed to work with captains to manage the players and the game effectively. They have also been reminded of their responsibility to control the game by applying the Laws of the Game and dealing firmly with any open show of dissent by players. The instruction to referees is to stay and deal with dissent rather than moving away.
While the captain does not have any special privileges under the Laws of the Game, captains will be expected to take on more responsibility for the conduct of their team. Under the Respect programme, the referee will work with the captain to manage the players and the game effectively. The captain will act as the main contact point for the referee, and will be called over to an incident involving a team-mate even if he is some distance away. This may occasionally lead to delays in the re-start of the game.
Pre-match briefing meeting with referee and managers/captains
The referee will meet with the captains and managers (or a senior member of the coaching staff) at least one hour before kick-off to view the team colours, see the team-sheets but also to provide the referee with an opportunity to give a clear message of how he intends to manage the game and work with the captain to do this. This already occurs at Football League matches and will be introduced into the Premier League this season.
Team handshake before kick-off
This already happens in the Premier League and has been adopted by the Football League for the coming season.
Improved behaviour in the technical area
Managers/coaches/team officials should be removed to the stands if they leave the technical area to berate the match officials in breach of the Laws of the Game, or ignore the instructions of the Fourth Official to return to the bench after giving instructions and having a suitable amount of time to see if they have been carried out.
In addition, there will be no TV monitors in the technical areas at any level of the game. This is expressly prohibited by Premier League rules, which were amended in June this year, followed by a blanket ban from the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the body responsible for the Laws of the Game.