Feb 2, 2008 / 03:21 am
Father Nicoló Anselmi, director of Youth Ministry for the Bishops’ Conference of Italy, has called on professional soccer players looked up to by thousands of young people to stop blaspheming during games.
“Players, please, stop blaspheming when something goes wrong on the field. You are offending and irritating us instead of making us have fun,” Father Anselmi said after news programs repeatedly showed a famous player clearly utter a blasphemy during a game on Saturday after a call by the referee in favor of the other team.
Recently the Italian soccer teams agreed to promote “fair play” on the field and to add what they call the “third half,” during which players shake hands after the final whistle.
Father Anselmi said, however, that the effort to improve the atmosphere on the field should include asking the players to stop blaspheming, a practice that has become increasingly more commonplace.