Abuse of officials ..

[Super_horns]

Seems like it's getting more serious at amateur level with reports of physical violence.

Being an amateur referee: your stories of threats and attacks, but a love of the game

Has anyone suffered from this and what can be done to prevent the problem escalating further ?

 

[Johnnyt]

I watched a young lad ref a local derby in a Sunday league game........he was threatened numerous times and had to send 2 off..........he was about 25 and i felt sorry for him,you could see the nerves in his face.

 

[St. Juste]

This is something with actually quite an easy resolution - and one the authorities choose to not implement.

At the professional level, footballers complaining to referees is not borne out of frustration or temperament, it's organised and systematic cheating. Players are coached to pressure referees, and do so in as effective a manner as possible. Many other sports, e.g. rugby but others too, have professionals of a similar age never ever complaining to the referee. If you are a professional you should be in control of your emotions and this is a switch that could easily be turned off.

Amateurs and youth footballers see the impunity with which professionals are treated and decide to do the same to their referees. However, unlike the professional game, there are no security guards or protection for referees. They are (usually) young kids on their own being paid very little and facing up to 30 players and staff on their own. Occasionally, it will lead to physical violence which is documented in the news media, but verbal intimidation is the norm.

I used to referee when I was younger and it was not fun refereeing men twice your age who use football as a means to vent their frustrations of life.

Football associations occasionally announce rules such as only captains can talk to players, then quickly abandon them. Fans don't pay to watch players complain to referees, it is a complete waste of time for everyone involved.

It's something that requires a globally coordinated approach and has to start from the top. Don't talk to the referee, ever, unless they speak to you. Focus on playing football. Mic up all conversations (at the highest level).

 

[Gavin85]

It's systematic of a greater problem in society - there is no responsibility and accountability for actions anymore.

I used to play football as a youngster, and being from a council estate background referee's often though that players like myself would be 'hard to handle'. I very rarely got into trouble with ref's, and I'd always shake hands with most of them after the game (there was only one referee I never got on with, because he said that 'kids from council estates are vermin.') I was taught that respect was something that you earned, and that you should respect the position if not the person.

Nowadays, people do not have respect for others - just look at social media and what a flaming garbage pile Twitter and Facebook etc. have become. People can pour on abuse with the security of knowing that they will never have to answer for their actions, plus they can always cry and say 'boo hoo poor me' when confronted.

Until we overcome this, by saying that as a society we are all responsible and accountable for our actions and we have to do better, then we have very little hope imo.

 

[MUFCdon]

If you strongly suspect (like are almost definitelt sure) the referee is paedophile is it ok to call him a 'fucking nonce"??

 

[bomb]

The football federation does not even allow this. If it is done by any player, they will will be given a yellow card or a red card depending on the type of abusive word use

 

[SimonK]

The best thing a referee who is expose to threat and attacks from teams and their fans is to try and build himself, if by the end of the match a fan walk up to him and threaten him, he should take a picture and report to the his nearest station or if a player threaten him or says abusive words on the pitch, he should make sure to calm himself down before taking is next step.