Whoever coined the phrase 'o jogo bonito' which translates to ‘the beautiful game’ could not be more accurate about the description of football. There is no greater joy for a supporter when his team does well or wins a trophy. Football transcends all boundaries, crosses all barriers and unifies people to a certain extent. There is nothing better than to see your beloved team on a weekend after a hard fought week of work.
As every good thing has a bad side, there are some negatives which have become a part of the modern football. Some of those can be avoided while others have become so ingrained in the system that it will take a long time to get things back on track like in FIFA. The game has become all about money which deviates from the basic purpose of the game which was to live the beautiful sport that is football.
Many things in the modern game irks a supporter such as the odd timings for a game especially in Asia where the European games kicks-off after midnight which can be tough for many to watch. These things are off-field issues and there are lots of on-field issues too, such as time wasting or bus parking by the opposition which can be boring to watch. Also, the victim card played by certain managers when anything goes wrong is not good to watch. Let's take a look at five such things which a normal football fan hates in the modern game:
#1 Diving and Simulation
Diving has now gained the infamous tag of being the most deceitful act in football and is met with outrage by all rightfully. Diving or simulation is done to gain an unfair advantage by falling on the ground or feigning an injury. These acts are just exaggeration done by players to receive fouls in dangerous areas and cause bookings to the opposition.
Diving has been done on the biggest stage of football as in the World Cup by the greats of the game like Rivaldo in 2002 and Jurgen Klinsmann in 1990 in the final. Even one of the very best to play the game, Cristiano Ronaldo, has been guilty of taking a tumble too easily too many times in his career. Gareth Bale, Neymar and Arjen Robben are some of the other big name serial offenders and it is sad that players with such supreme talent resort to such wrong ways.
#2 Exorbitant transfer fees and wages
Modern football has witnessed insane money being pumped into the game like never before and now with the emergence of Chinese Super League, Graziano Pelle will now earn as much as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, such is the state of football matters right now. Kids in the academy are being offered contracts worth £30,000 per week which isn't good in the long run as in many cases, fame gets to the head of many talented youngsters.
Paul Pogba is now the subject of a bid in excess of £100 million from Manchester United which is ridiculous as no player in the world except Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo is worth that much amount. The market is absurdly inflated and the relatively small clubs find it tough to sustain at the highest level. It is not acceptable when an average player goes for a huge sum and the governing bodies must bring some measures to curb the power of big spending clubs.
#3 Players moving to rival clubs
Though it may look right from a professional point of view but it hurts from a supporters' point of view to see a player they supported through thick and thin going to play for their rival club and donning a jersey of their rival. The game was and will always be about the fans and the players should consider this before committing to another club.
Fernando Torres and Robin Van Persie are such examples in recent times who made the switch to the rival clubs and faced the wrath from their former supporters at all times. At least the senior players in a team should avoid making such decisions as it affects the relation between the two clubs which may get out of hand when it comes to rival teams.
#4 Ticket prices
The matchday prices have increased manifolds which is pricing the local support away from the game who form the base of the fan following for a club. Liverpool fans staged a protest at Anfield last season and the clubs along with the association must chalk out a plan to help the fans to experience the proceedings in the stadium rather than in a pub.
The clubs must also provide some sort of economic package to the travelling fans when the team goes for a long distance trip, be it in the league or cup competitions. The game should always be about the fans and the owners must keep this in mind at all the times.
#5 Lack of technology
There are countless instances where wrong decisions by the referees have decided the outcome of the game. Referees have to conduct the game in a fair way and not be the hero of the match by making unnecessary bookings or take vital decisions at crucial moments in a match. That's why technology is very much needed in the modern game which will help the officials to reduce their mistakes and not give undue advantages to one of the team.
Although with the adoption of goal-line technology, the footballing world has taken a massive stride towards eliminating one key area of human error, other avenues such as the review of a penalty among others need to be explored and implemented.
Other sports like Rugby and Hockey are great examples of how technology can aid in the betterment of the game and it is absolutely irritating for the supporters when a wrong decision by a referee becomes the difference between winning and losing for their team.
