Rules on dishing out abuse don’t stop at turnstiles

YOU’VE knocked your pan in at work but it has been a really crappy day and you’re gutted it didn’t go the way you wanted. We’ve all been there haven’t we?

Then as you’re trudging off home, head all over the place, someone you don’t know starts shouting at you. His eyes are bulging, there’s spit flying out of his mouth and he’s yelling you’re rubbish at your job and you can get yourself to f*** – or something similar.

What would you do? How would you feel, particularly if your mum, dad and sister had popped in to see you and had to listen to the abuse?

The fact is you shouldn’t have to deal with that scenario in your workplace – or anywhere else for that matter. Nobody should.

So why on earth do some folk who would be horrified, mortified and maybe even petrified if it happened to them in their workplace reckon it’s okay to dish out all manner of stick to players and think they can get away with it?

One bloke now knows better. I sat 10 feet away from him at Hamilton on Saturday as Accies lost to rivals Motherwell and the fella lost the plot.

He was dishing out all kinds of abuse to captain Mikey Devlin, giving not an iota of thought to how the player was feeling with his team staring a relegation play-off in the face.

Devlin is a very good centre-back, good enough to have been linked with Aberdeen.

More importantly he appears to be a fine young man who speaks with a confidence and maturity that belies his 23 years.

His team didn’t deserve to lose by virtue of the fact neither side deserved to win. But every player was trying his guts out and certainly none could be accused of not caring.

Devlin heard what was shouted at him but headed up the tunnel. A few steps in he decided he wasn’t taking it and when he re-emerged to confront his tormentor he found his dad – who had been sitting in the main stand – wasn’t standing for it either. A furious row had developed before his dad was ushered away by sympathetic stewards and bystanders.

These boys have families – Devlin’s sister had come up from London to see him play – and they’re not robots programmed to ignore personal and vitriolic abuse.

If Devlin had turned up at his critic’s work and started bawling the cops would have been called and he’d be on a breach of the peace charge. Why do people think it’s okay to do the same because they’ve paid £20 or thereabouts to get into a match?

It’s unacceptable and Devlin was right to have a pop back. He and his teammates are honest, hardworking professional footballers. They don’t earn fortunes. In fact they earn less than many of the people who watch them I’d guess. They play for a club that has survived in the top flight despite having the smallest fanbase. For

If Devlin had done that at his critic’s work he’d be on a breach of the peace charge

such a vital game Well brought more supporters.

However, those who do follow Accies are just as passionate as any other fans in the country. They love their team and are hurting. Whatever happens in terms of their top-flight fate though Devlin and his mates will be giving it everything they’ve got.

They won’t expect standing ovations if they go down but they have the right to expect to be treated with fairness and respect, not hounded and harassed.

It’s a passionate game and we all get caught up in it sometimes. But it’s not acceptable to call a young player for everything because he has lost a match. Especially when he’s feeling far worse about it than the guy making an a*** of himself in the stand.