#3. Disrespect and verbal abuse
Owens believes respect between players and officials was the”main issue that soccer needs to address,” adding:
“It’s not acceptable really, because football, more than any other sport in the world, has a bigger influence on society and everyday life and young children’s lives, in looking up to their heroes than any sport in the world, and it has the duty to show that respect.
“Rugby can’t take the moral high ground on soccer, because there are things in rugby that we need to do better.
“Certainly the respect in rugby is there and it needs to be maintained and kept, as it’s an integral part of the whole game. There’s no doubt about that.
Owens believes introducing a microphone would help make the necessary change.
He said: “Introducing this change in football would put an end to the endless speculation and debate too. In rugby, where a player abuses another player or an official, then it can quite often be picked up on the ref’s mic. That means it’s not a case of ‘he said this, I didn’t say that’, rather the evidence is there for everyone to see.”
“The unsavoury incident involving Joe Marler and his comments to Jake Heenan in December is a prime example, he was caught red-handed, everyone heard it and he was promptly issued with a ban.
“But in football, we’ve seen players make complaints of racial abuse which have not been picked up anywhere during the game, and without that evidence, the issues have raged on and not reached swift conclusions. Having that evidence would mean anyone at fault is dealt with appropriately and we can get back to focusing on what the sport should be about.”
