Respect is The FA's programme to address unacceptable behavior in football – on and off the pitch.

On average, 7,000 referees quit football every year at because of the abuse they receive from players and from the sidelines. Lots of children also pack it in because of the attitude and actions of over-enthusiastic and pushy parents.

Something to read while watching Norwegian keeper Beau Molenaar learn the "always play to the whistle" lesson the hard way... The return of Mario Gomez' scoring touch (Germany WCB) The best description of C-Ron you'll read this year (Kickette)* Brilliant collection of amateur football photos (5000) Tom Selleck to Chelsea?

Ok, so maybe this is one of those true rare Cinderalla stories. Anton Peterlin spent his last season playing in the top flight of – brace for it – US Amateur football!
Yes, I said amateur. Peterlin spent his pitch time for the Ventura County Fusion in southern California. Fusion play in the PDL's Southwest division and for those still learning about the layers of football in America, the Premier Development League is the nation's 4th tier of soccer, behind MLS, USL Div 1, and USL Div 2.

Back in the good old days, before the commencement of the Barclays Premier League Asia Trophy, we produced a post on July 21st entitled "How The Rules Corrupt The Laws" (http://footballisfixed.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-rules-corrupt-laws.html).
In the article, we suggested how the Laws of the Game are being contorted by the fake implementation of New Rules that allow too much control to the match officials, particularly the Referee and the 4th Official.

As Manchester United and Birmingham City took to the Old Trafford turf on Sunday afternoon few eyes would have settled on the figure of Keith Fahey, Birmingham's Irish midfielder.

It has been a long journey for the former Arsenal and Aston Villa trainee but on Sunday Fahey finally arrived on the biggest stage of all.

In July I had already posted a video of the week with some Italian amateur calcio bloopers from the mid-90's. Well, I found even more Italian amateur calcio bloopers from the mid-90's for our viewing pleasure. Video after the jump.

Surprise results aren't merely restricted to the latter rounds of the FA Cup. In a Fourth Qualifying Round replay at Priory Lane last week, Eastbourne Borough of the Blue Square Premier were beaten 4-3 by Tooting & Mitcham United of the Ryman League Premier Division. The win for the South London club was a welcome return to the competition proper for the club.

I once entered 'The Rising Dough Bakery', a small establishment in central Cardiff, wearing an Ajax t-shirt. The old Dutchman who worked there, well into his '70s at least, took one look at my attire and said with a wistful smile, "I used to play for them, you know."
Half incredulous, I demanded he told me more, so he rolled off a string of hazy memories of football in wartime Amsterdam.

It's been a while since I last updated you on the fortunes of London's premier and, at time of going to press, only football club for fans of Olympique de Marseille, Celtic and Liverpool. That's mainly due to actually being busy with actually turning up to training sessions.

Yes, believe it or not, as long as it took to get going it's now a weekly fixture in the calendar of many.

Amateur football in Germany. Sportfreunde Großsachsenheim v TSV Phönix Lomersheim II. April 2, 2008.

Photo credit: poity_uk on Flickr, via the Pitch Invasion Photo Pool.

Related posts:

1. Photo Daily: High Heels, Cigarettes and Beer in Stuttgart
2. Photo daily 06.

Let's face it unless you spend a lot of time on the toilet or in airports, it's difficult to pry yourself away from the television and/or internet long enough to actually read and actual book. So in the interest of focusing your book readin' efforts on the few works actually worth sacrificing valuable YouTube time for, we present the first book to earn the DT seal of approval: Finn McCool's Football Club.

Do you love sport? Are you passionate about photography? Would you like to go to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, sponsored by Sony?

As sports fans get ready for the biggest football event of next year, the Sony World Photography Awards – one of the largest global photographic competitions – is looking to uncover the best amateur football photographs in the world for the 2010 Campaign Award.

On the 18th of November in County Durham, a small ceremony took place on a windswept plot of land. It wasn't a spectacular ceremony. There were no fireworks and Mariah Carey didn't turn up in a pink Rolls Royce with her pockets stuffed with kittens, demanding a red carpet the ground before her to be showered with rose petals.