Word of the Week: Respect

By Vinnie Venezuela

Most Victory fans probably think that when Musky curses and screams and maybe even kicks a ball at an opposing manager, he is just reaching out and hoping to make others see how deeply passionate he is. He does it because he cares. Clearly, Musky is a conduit, the man wants to connect. Tough love is still love, right?

Of course others, like my Diego brother Warren, argue that Musky is just a bullyboy and needs to back off, especially if the game is done and you’ve won anyway. My other Diego brother, Carlos, will say that the intensity Muscat shows is what has made him such a successful, albeit controversial, player and coach. Rodrigo just sits on the fence and tries to change the subject.

As for me, while I think that Muscat being pumped is currently working for the Victory, I worry that the constant cuts to him screaming and badgering referees by the broadcasters is not a good look. The danger is that it legitimises behaviour that is disrespectful and aggressive which then trickles down to the kiddies and then suddenly, everyone is entitled to have a crack at the ref.

If the words respect and resilience really matter to us, then surely the behaviour post a bad decision needs to change. Does anyone seriously expect a ref to reverse a poor call? And the change must come from the players and managers not the administrators.

So while I can’t stop Musky being Musky (though I wish he would try a bit harder), I think the Fox Sports people could show a bit more discretion for the good of the game.

I went to the Victory v Adelaide match last week and the crowd was awesome. There was nothing I didn’t like about how they supported their teams and when, in the 63rd minute, 22 thousand paid tribute to Australian cricketer Phillip Hughes who tragically died, there was an extraordinary sense of connection that transgressed codes. That moment was profoundly meaningful.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic aka Zlats recently won his 9th Swedish Player of the Year Award. Upon accepting the honour, he paid tribute to his brother Sapko and two other Swedish footballers, Klas Ingesson and Pontus Segerstrom who all recently lost their battles with cancer. In a moving moment, Ibrahimovic said: “I am still living my boyhood dream … All these awards [are] proof that one has done something good and that one is good at what one is doing. But it is all overshadowed by what has happened. So there is a life next to this [football life] that is much more important.”

Respect.

Vinnie Venezuela

The Four Diegos

This article first appeared on the excellent and must have A-League Live app by Sportsmate.