Steve Coppell has declared it is time for football's law makers to force players to show referees more respect.
The Reading manager is convinced the Football Association, Europe's governing body UEFA and its worldwide equivalent FIFA need to act now to stop the problem getting out of hand.
Speaking hours after Chelsea and England defender Ashley Cole appeared to turn his back on referee Mike Riley following a potentially dangerous challenge on Tottenham's Alan Hutton, Coppell insisted a tough stance would have implications not just for the game at grassroots level but for society in general.
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He said: "The rules are there and can be amended to really guarantee respect.
"We had an initiative a couple of years ago where, if you disrespected the referee, a free-kick against you would be moved 10 yards further forward.
"After one year it was taken off as being ineffective. I thought that was the one positive, significant step the rule makers have made in recent years.
"To see the way officials are abused by players on a game-by-game basis it's no wonder we have problems in society.
"I genuinely believe if we refereed football games the way rugby games are refereed there would be a compound interest effect throughout society.
"This week I watched the reserves, where one of my players was fouled and had to go off for treatment. It is the most ridiculous rule but has stayed on the statute books for years because FIFA and UEFA say that is what you have got to do.
"If FIFA and UEFA said something that was fundamentally constructive in demanding respect for officials then they would have a lot more credibility.
"They are the ones who make the rules. We need better rule direction from the governing body. Get the rules right and you will get the respect right.
"If you look at games, 10 or 11-year-olds abuse referees the same as they see their heroes do on the telly. Even the referees say you can't do anything about it in football - but why not?
"It is everywhere. You switch a telly on for a game and you don't have to be a lip-reader to know what is being said. There is a lack of respect for authority."
Coppell prides himself on his own team's good disciplinary record but admitted there were times when he and his players let off steam at officials.
He said: "My players know how I would like them to behave but you feel you are at a disadvantage if you don't compete verbally with questioning referees' decisions.
"I very rarely do it but sometimes when I see other managers questioning officials I think I am letting my team down by not putting the same kind of pressure on.
"For me, the referee is right when he is wrong. Human error is part of the game."
Reading can take a major step towards safety by beating fellow strugglers Birmingham at the Madejski Stadium on Saturday and Coppell has no fresh injury worries following Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Liverpool.
The Anfield side survived a strong penalty appeal in the final minute when the ball struck Steven Gerrard on a hand and Coppell, who was highly critical of referee Andre Marriner, called for the referees' own governing body to make their policy on such incidents clearer.
He said: "I would like definitive direction from (referees' chief) Keith Hackett and the referees because one week a handball isn't a handball and the next week it is. I know they work very hard at being consistent but it would be great if that consistency was more transparent."
A GUARANTEED PROFIT OF AT LEAST £36.50 ON SOUTHEND v DONCASTER
Did you know that it is possible to win money on Friday evening's League One Play-Off clash between Southend and Doncaster, whatever the result?
The game kicks off at 7.45pm and we can guarantee you a profit of at least £36.50, whatever the result of the match. All you have to do is follow the simple instructions below and then sit back and enjoy the game. At full-time, you will be at least £36.50 better off, whatever the result of the match.
We must point out that if you want to take this bet, you should do it now because if the odds change, then the figures here will be invalidated. If they have changed, let us know and we will rework the bet for you.
You can still do this if you have a Betfair account but your overall profit will be reduced by £25.00 as you won't receive the £25.00 cashback as an existing account holder.
If you are unsure about this bet, you are most welcome to call us on 01642 223229 and we will help you as much as we can.
We're going to lay out a total of £71.00 on the Southend v Doncaster match and we will collect £107.50 if Doncaster win, £107.50 if Southend win and £107.81 if it's a draw. That's a minimum profit of 51%, a much higher interest rate than you will get in any high street bank.
Here's how it's done. Just follow these simple instructions.
1. Open an account with Coral. It is really important that you enter the bonus code of CORALTD when prompted. This is to ensure that you receive your bonus.
Open an account with Betfair. It is really important that you enter the promotional code of BFB425 when prompted. This is to ensure that you receive your bonus.
Place £20.00 on Doncaster at 2.75 (7/4) with Coral.
Coral will now add a £10.00 bonus to your account. Place this on Doncaster as well. You will now have £30.00 riding on Doncaster.
Back the draw with £26.00 at 3.3 (9/4) (or higher if available) with Betfair.
Place £25.00 on Southend at 2.15 (23/20) with Extrabet.
Extrabet match your first bet up to £25 so you will now have £50.00 riding on Southend.
The £25.00 matched bet will not show in your account but you can read all about how it works on the Extrabet site. It's the purple box that says '£25 FREE BET FOR NEW CUSTOMERS' on the top right hand side. Click here to visit the Extrabet site.
If you are unsure about placing these bets, please feel free to mail us or call us on 01642 223229 and we will talk you through it, no problem at all. There is no such thing as a stupid question.
You have temporarily laid out a total of £71.00 on the Southend v Doncaster match. I stress, temporarily... Now sit back, crack a beer open and enjoy the match.
4. Here's what happens at the end of the game.
If Doncaster win, you collect £107.50. That's £82.50 from Coral plus a £25.00 cashback from Betfair.
If it's a draw, you collect £107.81. That's £82.81 from Betfair plus a £25.00 cashback from Betfair.
If Southend win you collect £107.50. That's £82.50 from Extrabet plus a £25.00 cashback from Betfair.
5. This means that the worst case scenario on the Southend v Doncaster match is no draw and you make £36.50 profit. However, if it is a draw you make £36.81. That's a minimum profit of 51%, a much better rate of interest that you would get at any high street bank or building society.
6. It is absolutely vital that you click on the links on this page to open the accounts with the two bookies and enter the correct bonus codes or you may not qualify for the bonuses.
Also, before you place your bets, you should check that the odds haven't changed. If they have, let us know by mail or phone us on 01642 223229 and we will rework the bet for you.
Please feel free to contact us or phone us on 01642 223229 if you have any questions at all about this bet and we will help you as much as we can.
Please note that the bonuses are valid for new customers only so if you already have an account with one or more of the bookies we are using, you won't be able to do this. If that is the case, mail us or phone us on 01642 223229 and we'll create an alternative bet for you using different bookies.
This method of betting was used very successfully during the 2006 World Cup and you can read all about how it was done right here.
We guarantee this bet
It's understandable that some people will not believe that it is possible to do this. "What's the catch?" I hear you asking. My answer to that question is that we have been publishing arbitrage bets for four seasons now and literally hundreds of people have profited from following the advice on these pages.
Only twice has our refund guarantee been triggered and that was when we did all the figures wrong and sent refunds out to those who had followed our advice and made a small loss.
Our refund guarantee works like this. If this bet doesn't work like we say it will and you end up out of pocket, we will refund your losses. Simple as that.
That means that you simply cannot lose on this, whatever happens and even if we messed up the numbers.
The only stipulation here is that you must click on the links on this page to be eligible for the refund guarantee, not that you'll be needing to claim anyway. Just enjoy the profit and stay posted for many more of these throughout the season.
