Footballers told they can’t say ‘come on lads’ or ‘linesman’ because i | Football | Sport

Footballers playing in Berkshire and Buckinghamshire have been warned against using words such as ‘linesman’ and phrases like ‘come on lads’ because they have been deemed too offensive by a governing body. The Berks and Bucks Football Association has released an inclusive 26-page language guide advising players against using certain terms, instead suggesting gender-neutral alternatives.

The association want to “build a more welcoming environment” and in their guide are discouraging the use of ‘linesman’ while instead recommending the use of ‘assistant referee’ because it is a more “modern, inclusive term”. Instead of saying ‘come on lads’, players are being asked to say ‘come on team’ instead. The guide adds: “Language sets the tone. It shows whether someone belongs or feels excluded, whether they stay in the game or walk away.” Other phrases the Berks & Bucks FA disapprove of are ‘guys’, ‘ladies and gentlemen’ and ‘Christian name’ – to avoid “Christian-centric language”.

Alternatively, players and staff are asked to say ‘everyone’, ‘hi all’ and ‘given name’ instead. ‘He’ and ‘She’ are also advised against with ‘they’ recommended instead to avoid misgendering. Referees are encouraged to ask for a captain’s preferred pronouns and say ‘parent/carer’ instead of ‘mother’.

The community and inclusion manager at Berks and Bucks FA, Callum Salhotra, says the new guide “will help us all take simple but meaningful steps to ensure our game is inclusive, respectful, and welcoming to everyone”.

The Berks and Bucks FA represents over 600 clubs and 34,000 players across the area. The body’s website says it is “responsible for leading, protecting and supporting the development of the grassroots game in its entirety across the region”.

The guide has been criticised by Sir John Hayes who is the chairman of the Common Sense group of Conservative MPs. He said: “At best, this is daft. At worst this is sinister. The distortion of language has been the business of tyrants throughout time, and I’m not sure the Football Association would want to be associated with tyranny.

“And so the idea that you can instruct people not to use a phrase in common usage is deeply worrying. The association should get on with helping clubs to do the best they can for all those who want to be involved in football to have their chance regardless of where they start. So my message to young, current and aspiring footballers is come on lads.”

The move follows a similar directive from the Liberal Democrat-run Sutton council, which issued a shorter 13-page language guide urging against the use of the term ‘Christian name’. Other phrases outlawed included saying ‘youngsters’ while referring to under-30s and ‘pensioners’ for over-65s with the phrases branded “ageist”.

The founder and director of Free Speech Union Toby Young said: “This is woke hyper-sensitivity taken to ridiculous lengths. “I’ve never met a Jew, a ­Muslim or an atheist offended by the words ‘Christian name’.”