Dark side of the games

He was referee of the Secondary Schools Football League match on Fatima ground between Fatima and Trinity College. As I was told, he was only doing the game because the original ref was delayed. And it seemed a straightforward assignment by the end of the first half. There were no goals to record and no incidents to speak of. It was a sleepy match.

"Mr Sleepy" woke up, though.

The second half was something else entirely.

The ref had to check three goals for Fatima, put off a Trinity player and, at his final whistle, leave the field to less than friendly chat from irate Trinity supporters and even a team official who virtually escorted him towards his dressing room with his string of complaints.

But if Mr Thomas thought the worst was over, he was wrong.

While he was confirming the scorers for me, up marches another seething Trinity backer to tell him what kind of 'tief' he was. The security guard near the officials' area seemed nonplussed.

The source of all this bacchanal was Fatima's second goal.

Thomas ruled that little Xavier Rajpaul's effort had crossed the goalline. It was not a decision that everyone--especially the Trinity fans closer to their team's goal or those on the other end of the field--could fathom.

Trinity defender Nicolai De Matas had too much to say about it. He was ejected for abusive language and threatening an official.

The mood around the ground was changed for good now. And soon, one of Thomas' assistants also felt the Trinity rage. Someone nearby struck him in the back with some thrown object because of his call for a throw to Fatima.

Understand reader, this was no match of championship-deciding importance. This was a run-of-the-mill schoolboys game with just a smattering of people. But how quickly things got ugly!

This was interesting to me.

Disgruntled supporters mouthing off at a so-called 'tiefing' ref is not exactly a new phenomenon in school sports like football. But more and more, such displays of disapproval are growing violent in tone and nature. This is not picong business anymore.

But what do incidents like these say about the "safe haven" that sports is supposed to be for young ones?

It is cliche now, this saying that sports can help save the youth and get them off the streets.

However, how sound is such thinking really when the "streets" have come to the playing fields?

Imagine for a moment that you were a Trinity player that day.

You are already 0-1 down because of bad defending, then the ref makes a call that you feel is wrong that sends you down 0-2.

Soon, from the sidelines, you can hear people bawling how the ref don't like Trinity and how 'dat ball coulda never cross the line' and 'dah man does always give we pressure.'

Is such talk--especially if the words are coming from parents--going to inspire you to focus on getting back in the game? Is it going to encourage you to accept that the referee's decision is final and that you must show determination when the chips are down?

That is, of course, what conventional wisdom says, that sporting competition builds character and can help develop good citizens.

In theory that may be so. But I put it to you today, that in too many instances this is not what is taking place.

Instead of sports taking deviant behaviour out of the youngster, some sporting environments are encouraging just the opposite.

Isn't it true that through the years, there have been schoolboy footballers who have been involved in unacceptable, even illegal activity, but their coaches have turned a blind eye because of their value to the team?

What exactly are the virtues being taught by such complicity?

Remember, it is people--not the pitch, court or pool--that create the culture that shapes young minds.

It is not a schedule of SSFL matches or the mere existence of an age-group programmne or high performance centre that will produce disciplined play and behaviour in a game.

The quality of football that so impressed people who viewed the recent FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup could not have been just the result of good skill by the young ladies.

There must have been a certain level of personal discipline involved that allowed the players to execute their coaches' tactics so well.

The Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation have asked for a great deal of money to prepare their national teams at all levels.

I hope they intend to use money from that budget to address development of the players themselves.

The success in tournaments they seek will come, not just from playing many warm-up games and having training camps, but from preparing future generations of youngsters mentally and physically.

It's not the job solely of football or cricket or track and field to do it. Agreed.

But as ref Thomas would surely agree, someone has to pay more attention to what's going on off the field.