Red Card, Ref!!

I know we have all heard of THOSE classic soccer mums and how manic they get at their kids' matches. Today I saw a disgusting display of soccer DAD's in action. Okay before I get totally irate, again, let me start at the beginning.

Nikh and his friends choose to play soccer (football to the rest of us!!) but only get the chance once a year for a but six or eight weeks. It is hard as each year there are new players, each year they get the same few weeks of skills training and then into matches with other local schools. As parents, we love the fact that our kids are learning another skill, they are outside running around and getting some exercise and air that as fresh as it can be in Chennai! We love that they have a dedicated Coach who is trying his best to instill sportsman-like behaviour, teaching them the rudiments of the game and we have a parent who is willing to sponsor their uniforms (something they have never had before!!). But we don't seriously expect them to win too many games. The boys don't go out on the pitch with a do or die attitude either!

The other teams arrive, and the attitude from the boys and girls is fine. They are here to play a game with other kids - quite frankly, I don't think they care who wins just as long as someone cheers for them! You should have seen the boys' faces when the spectators started a chant of "Let's go Raptors, Let's go!!". I wish I'd had my camera on then! The other team scored and just as many kids cheered for them - I did too! they loved it and I overheard a visiting parent remark upon it!

Then came the total opposite of a silver lining! One man decides that he should take over the coach's position starts yelling instructions to the visiting team. He yells, yells, yells and yells. The coach tries to wrestle control back - in vain. This man's vanity knows no bounds of courtesy, sportsmanship or just behaving himself in front of not only his own kid, but many other kids too. He was politely asked to move away. Reluctantly he stalked off, muttering. Only he was not down and out yet - he moved to the opposite side of the pitch, gathering a few supporters along the way. He set up camp and began the same bolshy coaching from over there.

My issue with this parent and his chums was not so much that they blatantly disregarded what they had been asked to do, but that they disagreed with the Ref and started heckling him and then they moved on to the kids - they taunted and sarcastically yelled at the boys - 'Good shot!' when the ball was kicked out, 'that's a goal, Ref!' when it clearly wasn't etc. You know the kind of person. At home we call them lager louts - this gang did not have the benefit of alcohol. Stone cold sober - innate character coming out. I call 'FOUL'!! Foul behaviour and foul attitude.

If they can't be muzzled, the least we can do is show them the Red Card.

The first photo is Nikh with a wound just under his lip where one of the visiting team kicked a little too high and made his mouth bleed - but get this - the kid kept coming up to Nikh to apologise repeatedly and check he was okay. I say he should be Man of the match!!