The abuse problem in England is not unique; football culture is toxic

Against Ivory Coast, England defender Harry Maguire was the target of abuse, but this is a poison that cuts through cultures.

The booing began at Wembley Stadium before kickoff, and it was clear that it had nothing to do with England. Ivory Coast didn't put up much of a fight, but Maguire's performance for England was superb.

He assisted a goal, and England held a clean sheet without much effort. Gareth Southgate, realistically, could not have asked for anything more. However, this is really a diversion. It makes no difference how Maguire performed for England in this match.

We know this for a fact because the booing began before the ball was even kicked, most likely due to club-related toxicity.

The urge to judge his performance in light of this attempted retaliation, to criticize the abusers because a player didn't perform poorly on this occasion, is missing the point.

Football abuse is not present only in England

Attempting to 'convince' the booers by dissecting a player's performance gives their behavior a level of legitimacy it does not deserve. There is undoubtedly a segment of football fans who will never accept anything less than perfection. We can guess why they might act this way.

Is it the influence of video games that makes physically demanding activities something that any idiot can perform by hitting a few buttons at the same time? Or the pernicious influence of a society that amplifies the loudest and most extreme positions on any given subject, regardless of how stupid they are?

Can high ticket prices foster a never-satisfied attitude to entitlement? Why should any of us be concerned with the motivations of anyone who boos a player during, or even more stupidly, before a game for any purpose?

Because it's definitely the point at which we need to shift our focus away from those who are being jeered and towards those who are doing the jeering.

The 'amount of money they earn' argument doesn't hold water in this case.

The culture of abuse extends all the way down the football food chain. It goes from seasoned England internationals to players who don't earn any more than those who watch them.

The extent to which referees are quitting the grassroots game due to the nonsense they have to put up with is causing a genuine existential crisis for amateur football.

Of course, it doesn't help when people in positions of power in the media don't speak out against such behavior as unacceptable.

Maguire should "be big enough and man enough just to go on with the game," according to Roy Keane, who remarked after the game.

It's an odd line of logic to jump to the conclusion that the person on the receiving end of the abuse is to blame. It doesn't sound like you're blaming the victim. It is blaming the victim!

However, the closer you get to the core of the game, the less abuse you'll encounter.

Players all know better than to say things like this. The response to accusations of abuse is always the same: an assumption that 'ex-pros' are just circling the wagons.

Disrespectful fans

While it appears far more likely that professional players understand how difficult the game can be at that level, and how much such abuse can hurt. Indeed, many of these abusers are likely to have no idea how difficult it is, or how talented professional players are.

Anyone who has spent more than 30 seconds on a pitch with a group of them will already know this. Yet, even those who are often mocked as "donkeys" are capable of accomplishing things with a football that those in the spectators could only dream of.

It would be instructive (and likely cathartic for those who are sick of such disrespect and abuse) to pit 11 abusers against 11 professional players for 90 minutes and see how they fare.

Or to show up at their workplace and stand behind them all day, offering imbecilic 'advice' and abuse.

Problem not England-centric

To be clear, this isn't about England or any particular player, despite the fact that the atmosphere around the England team can be particularly toxic. In replies to each tweet published by a club or a player, you'll witness a rainbow coalition of flags from all around the world.

It isn't about any particular club because it is quite general in that regard. It's also not limited to a certain age group. There are numerous stories of fully grown individuals whose emotional incontinence after a football game lost them their jobs as their hateful words went viral.

None of this is about mollycoddling players or dodging criticism. We're not talking about constructive criticism here. No one believes that anyone should be immune to honest criticism.

However, the notion that the level of abuse that players often endure is in any way helpful (or even intended to be) is patently absurd.

Football's unique problem

No one on earth clutches their pearls tighter than the football fans themselves when they are on the receiving end of a perceived slight. Football, in all honesty, is really a reflection of the world in which it exists, and it is a world in which casual cruelty has become practically expected.

We've all been guilty of being obnoxious on social media at some point, and we can all do better.

It's a combination of ever-increasing tribalism and the game being watched by a vast audience who are frequently duped into believing that they understand it better.

Football's culture does seem uniquely prone to bringing out the worst in people. And all of this can – and should – raise uneasy questions. Is it true that men's players are fair game, while women's players aren't?

Is it fair to state that all verbal abuse is acceptable but all forms of physical attack are prohibited? Where do you draw the line if it's all about how much money they make (spoiler: no one believes it is), then?

Abuse is ultimately a type of bullying, and the time at which people strive to protect those who act in this manner is unquestionably when things have gone too far. Unfortunately, it appears like this Pandora's box has been open for a long time, and closing it will be very difficult.