The Prime Minister has urged footballers to be better role models with captains required to set an example to their teams. Speaking at his monthly press conference Gordon Brown was asked about recent instances of bad behaviour at matches, with players openly challenging referees.

Mr Brown said that while some footballers were “great role models”, it was important they all took seriously their responsibilities to help young people grow up as “disciplined and well-behaved citizens”.

“I think that most fathers and mothers - when they know their teenagers or young children are watching football matches, either as spectators at games or watching them on television - want their footballers to be better role-models,” he said. “I think that people do not want to see the bad behaviour that sometimes happens on the pitch.

Earlier Mr Brown joined calls for footballers to respect referees - saying team captains should be booked if they failed to control their players. Discipline on the pitch has been in the spotlight since incidents of dissent in the Premiership involving Chelsea’s Ashley Cole and Liverpool’s Javier Mascherano.

Writing in The Sun the Prime Minister said young people copying such behaviour were putting classroom discipline at risk. “Whether they like it or not our footballers have a greater responsibility than anyone else, because they are so idolised and respected by our young people,” he said. “It makes it so much harder for parents, schools, the police andthe Government to teach respect and tackle anti-social behaviour if some of our children’s biggest role models are teaching them the opposite.”

He said punishing captains could hold the key. “Not only must the captain set the right example for the rest of the team, I believe he must take greater responsibility for the overall behaviour of his team-mates.

“Personally, I think the FA could go further and say that if the team gangs up on the referee after a decision or several players get involved in a brawl, the captain should be disciplined alongside the individual offenders.

“Players would think twice about repeatedly abusing or intimidating the referee if they knew their skipper could get booked as a result.”

Urging footballers to learn lessons from the “sensible exchange” of views enjoyed by rugby captains and referees, Mr Brown singled out Rio Ferdinand, Steven Gerrard and John Terry as examples of the sorts of players who could benefit. “These are players who lead by example, and I think they would relish it if they were given responsibility not just for the performance of their team but their behaviour.”

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