Daniel Farke addresses threatening behaviour directed at Leeds United man and societal anger in game — YEP 9/2/24

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Leeds United boss Daniel Farke has condemned the threatening behaviour directed at Patrick Bamford last season.

By Graham Smyth

Speaking on his BBC podcast this week, Bamford revealed individuals had turned up at his home in the wake of a missed penalty against Newcastle United. The club then responded by putting security outside Bamford's house for the night. Bamford and his family - including his baby daughter - were also the target of threats on social media.

Farke says footballers in general have to accept a measure of criticism that comes with the territory of a dream job, but he senses anger seeping into the game from society in general.

"It's always a bit difficult," he said. "When there are difficult days in society you also feel the mood in football games. In the whole of Europe we're working in difficult times and you can sometimes feel this anger during football games. I'm always a bit in between to judge it. When you work in this business you can't just take the positives and the benefits, we're living a privileged life, a dream, we all love playing football and we're quite often in the spotlight with a good salary. I'm struggling during this tough time for all of society to complain about how difficult it is for football players, we can't just take the days when the sun is shining. Sometimes you have to handle the criticism. If you can't handle the heat, don't work in the kitchen. When you a sign a contract you have to accept sometimes there is criticism that is over the line."

Where the line needs to be drawn, according to the German, is when criticism turns to abuse or anything that threatens a player outside the game, like what happened to his centre forward during Leeds' relegation season.

"This is something that is not acceptable at all," he said. "As soon as it's threatening the private life, the health of the family and player, we have to use all the laws and authorities to stop this. We have to be unbelievably strict to judge this behaviour. We shouldn't be too sensitive about criticism on social media, but there has to be a line and when it's crossed we all have to stand together. It has to be judged strictly. Patrick knows we all back him."

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