Javier Tebas: "Verbal violence can be a precursor to physical violence"

LaLiga president Javier Tebas took centre stage at the first edition of the Dialogos en Libertad (Dialogues at Liberty) symposium organised by the media group Libertad Digital. The event was also attended by Pablo Salazar, the general director for youth and sport at the Community of Madrid (Madrid regional government); Juan Jose Nieto, the Community of Madrid's general director for infant, primary and secondary education; ex-Real Madrid and Spain player Isidoro San Jose; and former international referee Arturo Dauden Ibañez. Violence in sport, an issue that continues to plague football and which is of major concern to LaLiga, was the main topic of discussion.

LaLiga's integrity and security department is working flat out to try to rid football stadiums of violent acts: "LaLiga is concerned by the goings-on in youth sports. The [2014] murder of the RC Deportivo fan [Francisco Javier Romero Taboada] was a tipping point in professional football. Not clamping down on verbal violence would make no sense. If we want to eradicate verbal violence at professional stadiums, we also need to do so in the youth game. Verbal violence can be a precursor to physical violence. The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) convened an Anti-Violence Commission shortly after the Deportivo supporter's murder and we suggested there and then that work needed to be done at youth level. Every week we send the RFEF a report detailing all the latest developments related to violence in Spanish football," said president Tebas. He went on to reveal some facts and figures about LaLiga's efforts on this front this season: "We've reported 111 violent incidents, 108 incidents against referees and 27 racist incidents, giving a total of 246. We haven't received so much as a response from the RFEF. We've also got to strive to stamp out humiliating celebrations like certain dances or the bras d'honneur gesture."

Dauden Ibañez, who was a victim of abuse during his 17-year career as a professional referee, hit out at the lack of fan education: "I have the feeling that nothing has changed since my refereeing days. At the root of it lies an educational and cultural problem. There has been no will to put an end to it. The necessary disciplinary measures haven't been taken. Kids' behaviour on the pitch is a reflection of their coach." 

Ex-Spain international San Jose, who had a stint overseeing the youth set-up at old club Real Madrid and has his own football schools, echoed this view that the violence besetting the game today is nothing new: "In my opinion, this problem is a long-standing one because I experienced it myself in years past." He went on to explain that his position usually involved "minimal" contact with the kids themselves, while regularly requiring much more interaction with parents: "Often my job has been about 'educating' parents. We've got to keep banging on the door at the RFEF to urge them to find solutions."

Lastly, Salazar and Nieto outlined the lengths the Madrid regional government is going to in order to try to instil key values among young people. "We've got to teach players and their parents respect for everything," said Salazar, while Nieto remarked on the role of the education system: "We've been promoting coexistence at schools over the last two years. Families are the frame of reference. We've spearheaded projects together with LaLiga. We're going to launch a new subject called Respect and Tolerance. You can't just wait for something to happen and then react; you've got to work to prevent it in the first place."