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Referees’ chief Howard Webb says standards of behaviour in the English game have been “allowed to decline” over a period of many years and insists it is vital a new code of conduct is followed by everyone to address it. Officials are being empowered to issue cards when confronted by two or more players in the season ahead, while players and coaches who seriously or repeatedly abuse referees could face increased financial penalties from the Football Association. Webb, the chief refereeing officer at Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), says there has been a worldwide decline in referees entering the game, and that a collective effort from everyone involved in football to address poor behaviour is essential to tackling it. “I think over a period of time we’ve seen a decline in some behaviours, both on the field of play and in the technical areas. It’s not exclusive to the English game, we’ve seen it around the world,” he said in an interview broadcast on PGMOL’s YouTube page. “This has had knock-on effects. We’ve seen copycat behaviour at grassroots levels, and that’s resulted in people either quitting as referees or not choosing to take up the whistle. “I think for too long we as match officials have not done well enough in dealing with behaviours that have been unacceptable. We have too often confused unacceptable behaviour as passion. We’ve turned a blind eye or a deaf ear. “We’re trying to change behaviours that are exhibited in our sport that have been allowed to decline over the years, for many years, that have now seen a situation where we have a lot of referees who are facing really difficult experiences at grassroots level. We have too often confused unacceptable behaviour as passion. We’ve turned a blind eye or a deaf ear Howard Webb “Numbers are generally around the world declining and I think enough is enough. This is our chance to leave a legacy of improved behaviour. “We’re being tasked as match officials to deliver change on the field of play by being resilient and robust and consistent with the way that we deal with unacceptable behaviour. “We’re ready to do that for the good of the game but it’s absolutely important that all stakeholders in the game stand behind our officials and ensure that they feel empowered and supported when they’re dealing with these behaviours.” The English football authorities have endorsed a series of measures designed to combat bad behaviour on and off the pitch, including a ‘Participants’ Charter’ for players and coaches, plus tougher sanctions on off-field issues such as football tragedy abuse. While at grassroots level teams can now face points deductions where their players or staff are found to have seriously or repeatedly abused officials, there are no indications that the professional game will follow suit. That is despite a number of serious incidents at top-flight level in the last year alone, with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp twice sanctioned for abusing officials and Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic given an eight-game ban for pushing referee Chris Kavanagh. Webb says all players and managers must be aware of the impact on their actions, especially on young people. “So many young people’s eyes are on that field of play. They take their lead from what players do.” Webb added. “These are role models whose behaviour they want to emulate, they look up to these people. If they see certain types of behaviour then it sets a really poor example for what is deemed acceptable in everyday life as well. “Not wanting to put too much pressure and responsibility on players’ shoulders or officials or coaches who perform in that pressurised environment, but I think that we have to accept that when we get to a certain level we’re all role models. “And we all have to understand that our behaviours do have an impact and therefore those behaviours that are exhibited have to be positive ones.” The PA news agency understands the Professional Footballers’ Association has been involved in the meetings which led to the new charter and has actively helped to shape it.

Katie Taylor will look to avenge the only loss of her professional career this weekend, as she takes on Chantelle Cameron in Dublin. Ireland’s Taylor, who holds the undisputed lightweight titles, moved up a weight class in May and challenged Cameron in the Irish capital, only to come up short on points. Now, England’s Cameron returns to enemy territory to defend the undisputed super-lightweight belts against the 37-year-old again. It is set to be a massive night for Taylor, Cameron, Ireland and boxing overall, with some fans believing that Taylor will walk away from the sport – whatever the result. Here’s all you need to know. We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent. When is the fight? Cameron vs Taylor 2 is set to take place on Saturday 25 November at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. The main card is due to begin at 7pm GMT (12pm PT, 2pm CT, 3pm ET). Ring walks for the main event are then due at around 10.30pm GMT (3.30pm PT, 5.30pm CT, 6.30pm ET). How can I watch it? The fight will stream live on Dazn in the UK. A subscription to the streaming service is available here at a cost of £9.99 per month. If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch the event, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN round-up is here to help and includes deals on VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider. Odds Taylor – 6/4 Cameron – 4/7 Draw – 14/1 Full odds via Betway. Get all the latest boxing betting sites’ offers Full card (subject to change) Chantelle Cameron (C) vs Katie Taylor (undisputed women’s super-lightweight titles) Paddy Donovan vs Danny Ball (welterweight) Gary Cully vs Reece Mould (lightweight) Skye Nicolson (C) vs Lucy Wildheart (WBC women’s interim featherweight title) John Cooney vs Liam Gaynor (Celtic super-featherweight title) Zelfa Barrett vs Costin Ion (super-featherweight) Thomas Carty vs Dan Garber (heavyweight) Emmet Brennan Jamie Morrissey (Celtic light-heavyweight title) Giorgio Visioli vs Lee Anthony Sibley (lightweight)

Cristiano Ronaldo has missed out on being nominated for the men’s Ballon D’Or, football’s biggest individual prize, for the first time in 20 years. The annual list of the world’s top footballers includes his long-time rival Lionel Messi – but Ronaldo’s move to Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr appears to have put him out of the reckoning for the award. Meanwhile, Spain's Aitana Bonmati is nominated for the women’s prize after leading her country to World Cup glory in August. The ceremony is set to take place in October. Ronaldo, who is training with Portugal ahead of a round of international fixtures this week, said: “Those who like Cristiano Ronaldo don't have to hate Messi and vice versa. “We’ve done well, we have changed the history of football. We are respected all over the world, that's the most important thing. “He’s followed his path and I have followed mine, regardless of playing outside of Europe. From what I’ve seen, he’s been doing well and so have I. “The legacy lives on, but I don’t see the rivalry like that. We shared the stage many times, it was 15 years. I’m not saying we’re friends, I’ve never had dinner with him, but we’re professional colleagues and we respect each other.” However, the 38-year-old’s army of fans on social media didn’t appear to see it that way. One person pointed out that Ronaldo “remains the last Premier League player to win the Ballon D'or,” adding that this record was likely safe this year because of Messi’s “robbery expertise” when it comes to the award. Another person said: “Most nominations in the history of Ballon D’OR: Cristiano Ronaldo 18 times, Lionel Messi 16 times. Remember. The one whom the system hates, is always the hero.” And one other commented: “Ronaldo has never 1. Robbed a [European Champions League], 2. Robbed a World Cup, 3. Robbed a Ballon d’Or. Messi has done all three.” Argentine Messi could win the award for a record eighth time this year after winning the men’s World Cup in 2022. His main challenger looks set to be Manchester City star Erling Haaland, who scored 52 goals in all competitions last season. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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