We can all accept that football stirs the passions of most supporters up and down the country and having played the game professionally for 16 years in Scotland and England, it would be fair to say I have experienced different degrees of abuse from fans. It\u2019s just something that I, and every teammate of mine, expected. But in recent years, there\u2019s no doubt the abuse in football surrounding those involved in the game has intensified. Players, managers, coaches, referees and owners are all on the receiving end to a degree that\u2019s completely unacceptable. Let\u2019s take a look at a few examples.<\/p>\n
Read More: Al Nassr Land \u00a364 Million Bid For \u2018Super Substitute\u2019 To Star In Saudi Arabia<\/a><\/p>\n Referee Michael Oliver made a debatable call when taking charge of Wolves vs Arsenal recently, sending off Myles Lewis-Skelly shortly before half-time. But the reaction to his controversial decision has been horrific. Death threats, threats to his partner and child and threats to make his home address public on social media sparked this response from the PGMOL<\/a> (Professional Game Match Officials Limited): \u201cWe are appalled by the threats and abuse directed at Michael Oliver following the Wolves v Arsenal fixture. No official should be subject to any form of abuse, let alone the abhorrent attacks aimed at Michael and his family.\u201d<\/p>\n With the explosion of social media activity over the years, players have constantly been on the receiving end of persecution and hatred for trying their best but making a mistake. Who can forget the outrageous abuse<\/a> aimed at Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka after they missed penalties in the Euro 2020 final shoot-out with Italy at Wembley. Incredibly, so much of it came from so-called England fans. Five years ago this happened but abuse of this sort still very prevalent today.<\/p>\n Former Oxford United boss Karl Robinson has spoken<\/a> of how his mother had to leave the ground due to the volume of abuse he was taking and mentioned how it affected other family members. \u201cMy daughter got constant criticism on Instagram and had some horrendous things said to her. We get paid to take criticism, but our families don\u2019t get paid to listen to that. Is it part of modern-day society? It may just be nowadays.\u201d<\/p>\n Robinson, now in his role as manager of League Two side Salford City, has been offering his support to on-loan Derby County player Tyrese Fornah who was subjected to racist abuse on Instagram. He was sent off recently against Newport County and immediately targeted. So many players suffer the same experience.<\/p>\n Read More: Chelsea Face Competition From Two Premier League Rivals For \u2018Very Confident\u2019 Bundesliga Ace<\/a><\/p>\n We can all accept the tribal nature of football but what are we to make of Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell\u2019s decision to resign due to the abuse he and his family were listening to from the clubs own supporters at every game, home and away? For a club with modest resources, Motherwell are sitting in the top half of the table and challenging for a place in Europe. But Kettlewell has felt the need to resign<\/a> due to the personal abuse he was taking which forced his family to stay away from matches. This from a manager who signed Theo Bair on a free transfer and after one full season, the club were able to sell him for \u00a31.6million. A remarkable piece of business at any level.<\/p>\n Motherwell are a club close to my heart having given me the chance to start my career there. In recent years, it\u2019s become a fan-owned club, the Well Society being the majority shareholder. It\u2019s hardly a good look having your own supporters drive a manager away from his job.<\/p>\nAbuse in Football: Referees, Players, Managers and Families All Suffer<\/h2>\n
Michael Oliver Abused Over Debatable Red Card<\/h3>\n
Players Often Subjected to Abuse<\/h3>\n
Managers Feel the Heat Too<\/h3>\n
Motherwell Manager Abused by Own Supporters<\/h3>\n
Spurs Boss Taken Aback<\/h3>\n