What will it take for football to become serious about abuse?

What will it take for football to become serious about abuse?

Does it need someone to take their own life, or is a mental breakdown enough?

Nobody wants sport to become sanitised - there's a reason football is so popular around the world and that's largely because of its immense atmosphere, its fanaticism and the sheer joy when a goal is scored or your team wins. It's amazing how transfixed we can become from something which is actually so insignificant.

But surely in this day and age, when we know so much more about mental health, there has to be a point where we say "enough is enough".

Harry Maguire

I can't be the only person troubled seeing the abuse Harry Maguire has been getting. And yes, I know he is rich, talented and famous, but that doesn't make him a human punchbag for idiots who find it funny to abuse someone they've never met.

Maguire's crime seems to be both not getting picked for his club side, but getting picked for his country, almost as if he should turn down an England call up because people with a far more limited knowledge of football than Gareth Southgate object to his selection.

Maguire has not, as far as I am aware, acted poorly. He hasn't, I believe, refused to train to get a move elsewhere, regularly moaned at referees or cheated on the pitch, like countless others have, but he's become such a figure of ridicule that his mum felt compelled to speak out and Maguire probably doesn't feel safe being out in public.

Maguire has admirably fronted up and said he can handle the abuse, but what if he can't? What if he finds this too much and decides he'd rather try and end his life, or suffers a breakdown? What would the reaction be then? Yes, there would be trolls on social media, but the vast majority of the public (football fans or not) would be horrified.

There would be the usual #footballfamily which is spouted during difficult moments but then quickly forgotten as players return to routinely trying to cheat each out and fans spout vile at the opposition.

There would initially be a great deal of introspection, a realisation that this culture of abuse from fans to players, from players and managers to referees, and across the internet in forums, blogs, videos and podcasts, has gone on way too long.

Is it any wonder referees get attacked, and that we see mindless idiots throw flares or coins onto pitches, when a culture of abuse is allowed to thrive? Even watching pundits makes me squirm, with some becoming cult figures for dishing out scathing remarks about people trying to do their jobs.

Worryingly, this acceptance of abuse is now spreading to cricket and golf in this country, as seen during the Ashes and Open Championship. It's why I can see the attraction of women's sport, which has improved markedly in recent years but has yet to succumb to the levels of vitriol seen in their male equivalents.

I hope Maguire is thick skinned enough to ride through this storm, just as I don't want to see passion and tribalism removed from football. 

But surely we've now reached a point where everyone with influence in the sport - players, managers, authorities - have to come together and find a way to curb this bullying before it ends up destroying people's lives for good.

And let's not forget how so many were quick to pour scorn on Dele Alli before finding out how much he was suffering. Let's not forget celebrities like Caroline Flack who have taken their own lives because of the abuse they received.

It's why I am so supportive of this clampdown on dissent aimed at referees. We have to start somewhere to end this pattern.

I would also introduce mixed seating areas where fans of both teams can watch matches together, which happens in all other sports. It could be a good way to tone down the hatred and encourage football to become more welcoming and inclusive.

It's time to stand up for women's rights

It has been a year since Mahsa Amini was killed in Iran; women in Afghanistan have lost the right to education or even to visit parks or beauty salons; women in large parts of the Arab world are treated as second class citizens; in Japan, of 54 ministers appointed in a government reshuffle last week, none were women; in the UK, women have lost all faith in the justice system whether through the non-prosecution of rapes or failures of the family courts; in America, women's rights to an abortion have been eroded.

Oh, and remember when the Women's Tennis Association refused to hold events in China until there was a “full and transparent investigation” into allegations made by Chinese player Peng Shuai, who claimed she was sexually assaulted by a senior government official before suddenly disappearing? 

Well, that boycott ended on Monday after the WTA CEO admitted he'd given up.

That's not to say progress has not been made, but in 2023 it is still far harder being a woman than a man, and there is not enough said about this.

Putting on weight left me in tears

I found out recently that my weight had gone up nearly half a stone. Great news? In theory, yes, but as someone with anorexia hearing that sent me over the edge.

I was hoping for a small rise in weight, but to hit nearly 8 stone left me horrified and bereft. What if my weight keeps going up this much? What has caused this weight rise?

That's the scary thing about anorexia, while you want to feel healthier, when your weight goes up you get scared and depressed and want to reduce it again. It's why for many months I've been trying to avoid knowing how much I weigh, only to end that policy when I was told I had become dangerously thin.

It's hard to think of any other condition where getting better can make you feel worse, which is why it takes such a mental toll. Sadly, I know it's something I'm going to have to live with for the rest of my life.

County cricket should be cherished

Even as a Notts fan it was heartening to see Leicestershire win the 50 over cricket competition last weekend with a thrilling victory over Hampshire.

It's a reminder just how important these tournaments are for county fans in an age where money is increasingly distorting the sport.

Having watched as much of the competition as I could - which includes large numbers of young players - I was particularly impressed with Josh Hull (Leicestershire), Tom Prest (Hampshire), Ollie Price (Gloucestershire) and Eddie Jack (Hampshire), although there will have been many others I did not get the chance to see.

Having witnessed Rehan Ahmed make his county bow in the 50 over cup before rapidly progressing to international honours, I'm excited to see how the latest batch of young pros get on in future years.