Respect or disrespect?
As Real Madrid's players left the tunnel and headed into the Etihad Stadium to warm up before the first leg of the Champions League play-off against Manchester City, something had caused them to deviate. Each player took turns trying to go in a different direction. How worried can they be when going up or passing by? Is it a sudden sinkhole? Or is there a dirty substance on the way?
Not any of them. That is just the logo/ badge of Manchester City printed on the ground, right at the exit of the tunnel. Many big stars do the same and have been recorded and spread on social networks many times, receiving many compliments.
But for many others, this action is one of the most silly new traditions of football. There are aspects of respect in modern football that you need to get used to, no matter how you feel.
In 2004, the first time the two teams lined up to enter the stadium and shook hands before the match was applied. This received a lot of mockery at that time. Even the players of that era could not understand the concept of "being kind to the opponent before starting the match".
The debate has really been going on for years. In 2012, Jamie Redknapp - a former midfielder of Liverpool and England, has now turned to commenting - criticized the handshake as "unreasonable", "shameful" and, in the way of a confused old man about TikTok, criticized: "I have never understood that. What does it want to touch? ".
But like emojis and self-photo, when actions are repeated, they become part of daily life and people stop complaining. Therefore, shaking hands before the match still exists and is now accepted. The problem is, once you agree with the sign of excessiverespect, where will you set the line?
Different views
Football has seen many players score against their former team. Most of them show respect by not celebrating. But from another perspective, it was probably an meaningless gesture. The problem is, if they were worried about making their old team sad, why didn't they start scoring that goal? What about the club that pays them and their new fans? Do they agree with the first thing you think about after scoring is thinking about the opponent's injury? For them, just celebrate that goal enthusiastically, right on their instinct.
Another action, there are also many players exchanging shirts between them during the break and is an indispensable factor in modern football. Then there is the story of scarves printed half and half - colors, names, and logos of the two teams, which are also being shown by fans. In almost every match in the Premier League, people see the buying and selling of these scarves...
Returning to the issue of avoiding stepping on the team badge - even when understood as respect, some people still ask, what is the purpose of this action? It is unclear where this phenomenon considered "excessive strange programming" originated, but for those who do not understand, it has become something.
Many people probably remember the image of Vinicius Junior stopping and jumping past the badge of Real Madrid club off the grass of Santiago Bernabeu. From his perspective - and many other players at Real Madrid, of course, stepping on the prestigious badge of the Royal team is never allowed. Foreigners who do not share the same opinion will think, this is not a museum, nor is it a grave, why should we avoid it? No one will accuse you of disrespecting the club or opponent if you step through something designed and placed in the right place to be able to step through.
Ander Herrera is in the same mindset as Vinicius and the like players. He shared about an incident that caused a stir and felt the need to apologize many times. "To be honest, I didn't do it on purpose," he said, "Just like I wanted my team's badge to be respected, I did the same for other teams. I didn't do it on purpose, and I said that after the game."
In contrast, former England goalkeeper Ben Foster, who is famous for FozCast, has a different way of thinking. He does not represent the national viewpoint, but in his podcast last year, he said: "I don't accept that. That was my big discomfort. If you plan to place a badge in the middle of the path or in the middle of the yard where most people will pass, it will be trampled. It is not a lack of respect when stepping on it, against that club or their history. Just step through. It looked very beautiful, I didn't do it with bad intentions, I just wanted to play and do my job.
Blackburn also have this badge at Ewood Park. If Man City or Arsenal are drawn for the FA Cup away to Blackburn, will they step on the badge? Of course. But if they visit Real Madrid, they will avoid it. Why? It looks beautiful on camera. That is Real Madrid, they have history, they are famous, you don't want to step on that famous badge".
Accept and exist
In this aspect, Foster wants to talk about whether or not to show respect depends on the reputation and position of the team, but perhaps it is not enough. Or, before Man City visited Real Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League play-off in midweek, there was a question about whether Pep Guardiola's students would try to avoid stepping on the home team's badge? Because the English team was 3-2 behind after the first leg, avoiding the badge on the way seemed not a concern.
Maybe, but there are still other players who don't. Even when facing a small team with their big team, or in any situation they have to face, they still do the same thing (not stepping on the badge). In general, each person has a different perspective and, as mentioned above, when the actions are accepted by life and more and more players take place, it will become a tradition.
opposing or agreeing depends, but at least, that action needs respect when it expresses respect - something that needs to be promoted in sports.
