But that's the fans - not the players. The problem is with modern TV cameras the close ups show what the players are saying, even though they may be 100m away or more. When the players are in the middle of the pitch with 50,000 supporters singing they don't realised that people are lipreading them!

Football is a contact sport, it sometimes gets nasty, even in friendly games at local level. But its one thing to swear, and another to lift your hand. Gamesmanship is part of (every) sport.

Dave L