It's not just fans or players who disagree with the referee. For example, when during a television broadcast the referee blows the whistle in or near the penalty area, the reporter immediately fires off comments like "that's not a foul", "we want to take a closer look at that", "that should have definitely been a penalty", "that was clearly a wrong decision", "why hasn't the VAR intervened now", and so on and so forth. These commentators set an example of how to question referee decisions. Basically, the referee is always wrong. But even when the referee's decision is clearly correct, comments are added like "that could have been called differently", etc.

I assume that for the commentators, it's not about the money, but simply the desire to criticise and the belief in their own infallibility. Commentators and journalists in the press can also be wrong sometimes. Perhaps they should comment less self-righteously and not always claim to know better than all "normal" people. This would greatly reduce the hostility.


I was particularly stunned when reading the RTS article about the shocking statements made by sociologist Daniel Monteiro - apparently a football fanatic - who (I quote): "questions the absence of football in schools".

This dialogue indicates that 94% of participants consider this game to be corrupted by money. Among its harmful effects, we can add to corruption the notions of exacerbated nationalism and violence (hooliganism).

We can therefore only rejoice at this so-called "absence" of football in schools, insofar as we must absolutely not impart the basics of an essentially financial activity that is no longer a sport. Sport is first and foremost a state of mind that is absent from "business" football.

I find Mr. Monteiro's considerations truly laughable when he speaks of (I quote): "an 'extremely cognitive' game, which makes the didactic approach more complex". I don't think it takes Einstein's brain to understand this primitive game; as for the didactic complexity, the act of running after a ball, without touching it with your hands, to put it into nets is within the reach of any individual.

It would even be appropriate to completely remove football (as well as other ball games) from school curricula and teach real sports that are essential in everyday life, such as swimming, whose usefulness is self-evident, or judo, for example, for self-defence.