Male (footballer) privilege *trigger warning*

[wennlock]

This behaviour seems to be typical of modern day footballers. Can't stand the bastards!

Grumpyoldbiddy living up to her name!

By that rationale every Olympic athlete is under that cloud as well. Football is massively popular, more than any other sport on the planet by a mile. so there is more money in it, so there is more corruption.

Football doesn't corrupt, money does.

Note, I'm not comparing these two incidents.

But, anyone remember this story....
www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/england/2305266/England-rugby-players-named-in-New-Zealand-sex-scandal-report.html

Probably not many of you, why? It's rugby, the public doesn't care. If that had been three england international footballers we'd all remember it.

The thing I'm struggling with most, which does miss the point is,

The club owners organised a trip to Thailand. They are Thai and have been doing loads to enhance the cultural reputation of their country and to promote LCFC in Thailand. They know that many British men (especially those of a footballer's demographic) will only have heard of Thailand's reputation for sex tourism and they know that footballers have a habit of getting themselves into trouble with mobile phone footage.

Why on earth would these men, not boys actually,( around 21yo I believe) not have received a serious "education" programme about the standards of behaviour expected and the risks of mobile footage before they went.

I once went on an awards piss up trip with a major bank, as a successful, educated woman in my 30s. I still had to listen to the you're here representing the bank speech before I got on the plane.

Agree entirely institution.

I'm disapponted but not shocked that young single blokes would act like that and record it. But to do it on a specific promotional tour like that one beggars belief, especially the managers son

Please don't think it's just football. I've known rugby players do something similar, a friend of mine had an appalling run-in with an England Cricket player and I know of others from other worlds of sport. There seems to be an attitude of extreme adoration amongst men for those who perform sports well and they'll forgive them most things, even effectively condoning this sort of behaviour. Women are most certainly second class citizens. I've learnt my lesson, admittedly a personal one and supported only by anecdotal evidence, and steer very well clear of pro sportsmen and, more importantly, the type of people who surround them.

Which cloud? The arrogance or the corruption?

Have only ever met one person who had been involved in the paralympics, know her fairly well and the biggest criticism I can make of that is the way that she was coached to see anything except 1st place as a failure and the impact that has had on her since.

Because of this I can't comment on corruption in the olympics.

The reason it's the biggest sport on the planet is because of the media and mass marketing - which aims to make money. It's obvious really.

And you are right, I chose the name because it's apt at the moment

I amca bit unsure about the culture of both rugby and football, although of course, awful behaviour isn't confined to just sports people. My dh is ex-forces and all to aware of what adrinking culture coupled with a total lack of respect for women results in. We have decided to try and encourage our ds into athletics/gymnastics/marshall arts. Partially because of the cultural aspects, also because we know a few people involved in these sports who seem very level hesdedand disciplined. Of course, I hope I raise my son to know better than to behave in such a vile way, but I still wouldn't cwant him exposed to it, even if he had the sense to walk away.

Of course the racism and treatment of women need to be addressed by the club and the football authorities. No way is this behaviour acceptable.
I can't believe though that at least three people have used the term "moron" on the thread.

Grumpy, the point was that corruption at the higher levels of the sport has absolutely nothing to do with those playing the sport.

The IOC was the poster child for corrupt governing bodies for many many years, does that therefore "show the sport of Athletics for what it is"?

Just puzzled as to what FIFA has to do with these three idiots in Thailand

Grumpy, the reason it's the biggest sport on the planet isn't the marketing.

The public makes that decision. If I was a billionaire who loved cribbage and threw the same level of marketing at and had the same media support would cribbage be the number one game in the world soon? No, it wouldn't.

Football is the most popular game because it can be played and understood by billions and the people of the planet have decided it's their favourite, not because the media decided. Correlation isn't causation.

It isn't directly related but another symptom the inherent problems within this massive sport with huge issues which seem to me to be related to money, image, power and control.

That said - I'm happy to admit again that I am no expert so am commenting purely from the perspective of knowing a few professional sports people, what I have read in the news and conversations that I have had with coaches and sports psychologists who work with 'elite' sports people (in inverted commas as they are their words not mine)

I know nothing about the IOC corruption so can't comment on that - I only comment on things I have a vague idea about

Apologies if this has already been shared but this a petition set up by an lcfc supporter calling for the players involved to be sacked if anyone wants to sign it - www.change.org/p/racist-leiecester-city-player-thai-sex-tape-terminate-each-individuals-contract?just_created=true

The psychology side is interesting, not that I'm relating this to the idiots in Thailand, who probably wouldn't fall under my definition of elite.

Your psychology contacts might agree that the people who get to the very top of sport have different mentalities / brains. They almost need an inherent arrogance and unhealthy level of self belief to even make it to the top 100 of their respective sports.

not sure it applies to these idiots but agree with the point above that in football they get the adulation and an element of the money long before they have the career to deserve it (that's another thread in itself as to whether that amount of money is deserved by anyone, but someone like Ronaldo at the top of the game earning 500k a week sits easier with me than an 18 year old with 10 appearances earning 5k a week

It doesn't need a petition, they will be sacked, just going through due legal process now, that's all.

Absolutely despicable behaviour.

Get rid. They won't be missed.

Absolutely disgusting behaviour. Racism and misogyny.

But Code your assertion that so called privileged people dont behave like this is bollocks.

Ahhh these new breed of professional footballers are nothing but overpaid yobbos. Why can't they aim to be like Alan Shearer/Jamie Redknapp.

Of course privileged people behave appallingly sometimes Helena. The difference is that they are equipped to deal with it, so they do it in a way that the fallout will be less and that their "mistakes" are far less likely to end up on a mobile phone and their connections can keep it out of the press.

Also the fact that so many fewer people are interested in the sports typically played by the privileged .

Hope you're right posting. But the cynical side of me thinks it won't happen that easily I think much more pressure would need to be put on the club before they do the right thing sadly

LOL sharon. Or George Best, Tony Adams, Paul Gascoigne perhaps?

The club will sack these three. They're not very good footballers, too old to still be considered good prospects. The club will likely be glad to end their contracts. I agree, if they'd actually been "premiership footballers" they'd probably stay.

I apologise ilovesooty. I was one of those three and actually didn't know the word's origin (I've just looked it up after seeing your comment) .

Ironic when that is how my own DD would have been described many years ago. I am always careful about words like imbecile, which was also used as a lighthearted suggestion of foolishness when I was a child, but didn't realise that moron was also in that category.

I won't be using it again (funnily enough, I'm not sure I've ever used it before but it was the first word that sprang to mind). Thank you for pointing it out.

Your psychology contacts might agree that the people who get to the very top of sport have different mentalities / brains. They almost need an inherent arrogance and unhealthy level of self belief to even make it to the top 100 of their respective sports.

I think so, that self belief and drive is vital I think, but more and more they are looking at resilience. I think as a 'sector' (for want of a better word), there has been a lot going on around mental health in sport - I think there have been some high profile suicides / hospitalisations, but I don't know details as I don't really follow it - as a result there is more and more work going on around adjustment (how to cope when you aren't at the top of your game, and resilience (how to bounce back when things go wrong). I was involved in developing some training around these issues for the premier league (is that right?) but didn't deliver it as I didn't know the proper words for the sport related stuff, like I kept calling it football practice not training (I think it was a bit embarrassing for them