Rational Ref: Culture of cheating means no honesty
Players, coaches and supporters always want justice when they are victims, but if they are guilty looking the other way is common
The truth? No one can handle it. Not coaches, players, supporters and referees, it would seem.
The modern professional game has come to a head whereby victory corrupts - and absolute victory corrupts absolutely.
This overriding win-at-all-costs mentality breeds a soccer culture of cheating, contempt and criticism that makes anyone in the game think twice about being sincerely honest and truthful.
This culture of cheating at all costs can be seen developing at grass-roots and youth levels
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho said as much: "If I say what is in my heart, I will get in trouble. I prefer not to talk about this. We had many things go against us, the result was not so good but acceptable."
Since when has half-a-day's wages and a touchline ban ever stopped him from being overly condescending and critical?
Mourinho's words are toxic and his sarcastic comments after last weekend's match against Manchester United proved this as he insincerely claimed he wanted honesty.
More honesty in the world of soccer would be a wonderful thing. However, this proposal is only ever triggered by losers and poor sports like Mourinho, especially when they believe they have been robbed of a result. Never mind they tend to look the other way when the boot is on the other foot, so to speak.
Take, for example, the situation of players holding and grabbing opponents in the penalty area. Video highlights revealed Manchester United defenders Marcos Rojo and Chris Smalling grappling Chelsea's John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic and hauling them to the ground.
Terry later tweeted he and Ivanovic were "double headlocked at every corner". Such incidents make everyone cry foul, but sadly no one mentions the honest truth.
The truth, according to players, coaches and supporters, is they always want justice when they are victims. But when they are the guilty party they never want justice.
Whenever Terry, Ivanovic and other players like Ryan Shawcross, Vincent Kompany and Martin Skrtel similarly cheat, they claim to be innocent and either look away or will have a pop at the referee for apparently missing a foul. Referees are so used to this type of cheating now.
The truth, according to referees, is everyone is biased so they are better off not listening to anyone, even though they also have to communicate with players and coaches.
The revelation about Alex Ferguson's huge influence on referees - that is, those who were "given permission" to officiate at Old Trafford - demonstrates just how much power managers and clubs can wield if they are not kept in check by the authorities.
Therefore it should be no surprise many referees consciously avoid making good honest and controversial decisions when the authorities do not show any support for what referees are doing. This happens everywhere, from the EPL to Hong Kong's own Premier League.
This culture of cheating at all costs can be seen developing at grass-roots and youth levels. When youngsters start to play the game, they love to run around and enjoy themselves without much emphasis on winning. There is an innocence about their play that is refreshing to observe.
But there comes a time when they start to realise the benefits of using deception in the game. It starts with opponents, then they soon realise referees can make mistakes, too.
This later develops into calling for throw-ins, handballs, corner kicks and goal kicks to gain an advantage for their team. There is a huge difference between deceiving opponents and deceiving match officials.
This transition from honesty and sportsmanship to deception and cheating is a natural progression, and shares parallels with children growing up into adults.
It only becomes unreasonable and hypocritical when players start claiming to be honest when previously they have been consistently dishonest.
When players and coaches actually tell the truth they are genuinely shocked that the referee doesn't actually listen to them. Referees can be forgiven for believing that players and coaches are delusional. If players and coaches really want referees to believe they are honest, they should brush up on the children's story about the little boy who cried wolf.
