Rugby shows the way where football fails as Spanish bans make mockery of Gianluigi Buffon case

There is a problem when it comes to respect in football, as showcased by Buffon's reaction to his dismissal in the Champions League quarter-final. Rugby, in contrast, treads a very different path

Gianluigi Buffon confronts Michael Oliver after his side conceded late penalty in their Champions League quarter-final tie against Real Madrid (Getty)

Situation one: A player confronts a referee in anger over his decision-making during the match which has cost his side victory, and subsequently qualification to the next round. The player is joined by his teammates, they aggressively target the official with verbal and physical language and the incident is regarded an embarrassment for the sport.

Situation two: A player confronts a referee in anger over his decision-making during the match which has cost his side victory, and subsequently qualification to the next round. The player is joined by his teammates, they aggressively target the official with verbal and physical language and the incident is regarded an embarrassment for the sport.

The player in situation one is banned for 43 weeks and will not be allowed to play again until mid-February 2019. The player in situation two is heavily defended because of his reputation, is not condemned by his national governing body of referee’s union and is likely to face a ban that will struggle to reach the number of fingers on two hands in terms of games missed.

Why?

Player one is Sebastien Rouet, the Spanish rugby scrum-half who lead the abuse of Romanian referee Vlad Iordachescu following their defeat by Belgium that cost them a place at the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Iordachescu’s performance is currently under review given the alarming number of decisions that went against Spain and that the immediate beneficiaries of their defeat were Romania.

Player two is Gianluigi Buffon, the legendary Juventus goalkeeper who lost his head when a penalty was correctly given against his side in the dying minutes of their Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid, pushed referee Michael Oliver and screamed in his face before being sent-off. He then continued to trash the referee through the media, labelling him a “murderer” and claiming he had a “rubbish bin” for a heart and did not know “s***” about football.

They may be different sports, but the circumstances are remarkably similar and yet the punishments will differ completely. Buffon will receive the mandatory one-match ban from Uefa in the Champions League, and likely a few more for his behaviour on the pitch and comments off it. That suspension will ultimately prove futile if Buffon lives up to his word and retires at the end of the season, although it could yet be applied to Serie A if his actions are deemed bad enough to warrant such action, thus stripping him of a Juventus farewell.


 Sebastien Rouetwho lead the abuse of Romanian referee Vlad Iordachescu 
 (Getty)

Rouet meanwhile is one of five Spanish players to receive a ban for the disgraceful actions that followed the game with Belgium, whose suspensions range from 14 weeks to 43. That means that for Pierre Barthere, Lucas Guillaume and Mathieu Belie, the trio who received 14-week bans, they will not play again for club or country this season, while Guillaume Rouet (36 weeks) and Sebastien Rouet will not play again this calendar year.

The bans could be deemed excessive, with the players having seven days to appeal, yet what they show is that aggression towards the referee or any other officials will not be tolerated. Critics of rugby union have claimed that the sport harbours thugs who have been found guilty of eye-gouging, punching and stomping on each other among other acts of aggression, yet these are dealt with in a similar manner – with lengthy bans.

At least it proves that respect of the referee remains an integral part of the sport. Can football say that? Evidently, no.

Last year 18-year-old referee Ryan Hampson lead a strike of amateur officials in protest against violence and abuse that they had received, with the teenager claiming he had been headbutted, punched and spat at. Another amateur referee, Ross Hawkes, quit the sport earlier this month after allegedly being assaulted by a player for the second time in his career, labelling football a “powder keg waiting to explode”.


 Buffon has been allowed to run his mouth in the media without sanction 
 (Getty)

“So this is what you get for refereeing a Sunday morning football game for £30,” the 36-year-old posted on Twitter, alongside images of cuts on his body and face. He added to the BBC: "I have been assaulted twice and it has got worse. The third assault? I do not like to think what that might be. I do not think I can carry on or want to - the risks are too dangerous. Why should I put up with that on a Sunday morning? No amount of money would make it acceptable.”

There is a problem when it comes to respect in football. Following Buffon’s actions, the relevant authorities had a chance to show that they are ready to do something about it, but instead the Italian has been allowed to run his mouth in the media without sanction, helping fuel the animosity directed at Oliver and his wife who have received online abuse, death threats and threatening messages, while attempting to play the victim card.

Two sports, two similar incidents, two very different outcomes.