The denigration of the other through linguistic signs in the field of amateur football in Germany and France.
Le dénigrement de l´autre par la langue dans le foot amateur en Allemagne et en France
Résumé
Presently, verbal denigration in professional football is widespread. However, little is known about how the use of verbal denigration is perceived by referees in amateur football. Therefore, this article focuses on the social phenomenon of daily unfiltered verbal denigration in amateur football in Germany and France. The analysis shows the major importance of the individual motivation. In addition, prior communication with the people involved is reported as an effective strategy to address conflicts. Moreover, the analysis illustrates that third parties – especially the coach and parents - traditional rivalries and league membership influence massively the “verbal denigration". In addition, most amateur football referees define a type of offender. However, the influencing factors are very diverse, including disrespectful behavior, age, gender, origin and education. Finally, verbal denigration is often more severely punished than normal insults. Nevertheless, contrary to the rules, categories of verbal denigration are in 25% organized into hierarchy.