By IRNA,
London : The captains of the 20 Premier League football teams are being called upon to shoulder extra responsibility for controlling their players under new plans aimed to stop aggressive behaviour towards referees.
The ‘Respect’ initiative, drawn up jointly by the English Football Association (FA), Premier League and the Football League, compels captains during the new football season to hold pre-match briefings with referees and rein in dissenters on the pitch.
FA chairman Lord Triesman, who was a former referee at semi- professional level, said that football had reached a “tipping point” with regard to aggressive behaviour.
“There were incidents last year that received lots of attention.
There was a breakdown in referees running games last season,” Triesman said when launching the plans on Tuesday. “We need the leadership of top players. Their role is absolutely decisive,” he said.
“Football engages, motivates and inspires – but at times we know it can get ugly. We all have a responsibility to deal with these excesses,” said Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore.
Proposals were suggested last season that only captains should be allowed to speak to referees and question their decisions, but FA chief Brian Barwick said the plan was shelved after talks with referees, who were “uncomfortable” with the idea.
The plan comes into force in this Sunday’s Community Shield match between Premiership champions Manchester United and FA Cup winner Portsmouth, a week before the league season starts,
According to the FA, around 7,000 disenchanted referees at all levels are leaving the game every year, but Triesman said that they need to be told “they can apply the rules with full FA backing.”