FIFA chief sees women as role models for male players

SCOTLAND, Mar 03 (AP): Striving to improve behavior at soccer matches, FIFA President Gianni Infantino sees women as role models for male players.

There is less simulation and time wasting in the women's game, according to Infantino, and it's time for men to clean up their act to improve the image of soccer.

"The men's game has developed incredibly, positively, but a few maybe side effects have unfortunately developed as well that we are fighting now," Infantino said Saturday. "Let's take the example of the women's game."

Infantino's admiration for the conduct of female players stands in contrast to predecessor Sepp Blatter, who urged them to wear tighter kits to make the game more popular.

"Women are nicer than men, probably, generally," Infantino said. "Sometimes we men feel that we need to show how strong we are, probably in the human nature, and this is reflected as well in some of the behavior in society in general but also on the football pitch."

Infantino was speaking after the game's lawmaking body, the International Football Association Board, discussed ways of improving on-field behavior at its annual meeting, including treatment of referees. Yellow and red cards for misconduct by team officials are now entered in the laws of the game after successful trials.

"When it comes to behavior," Infantino said, "if there's something to learn from the women's game ... it's certainly this: This is much less time lost and wasted on simulations or on other situations we criticise in the men's game. We are intervening now."