There were shocking scenes at the weekend with a linesman CHASED down and confronted by an abusive man at an under 18s match.
A 10 second long clip emerged on social media, with young lads heard laughing at what they were seeing, but in that moment for the linesman, he feared for his safety.
Refsupportuk (@refsupportuk) tweeted: “Just imagine being the ref at Portland u18s v Merley Cobham Sports U18s and this happens to you after the game
“Trying to find out more about this and hope the lino is OK. This is yet another sign of how football is falling into an abyss of abuse and people want us to shut up about it.”
Just imagine being the ref at Portland u18s v Merley Cobham Sports U18s and this happens to you after the game
Trying to find out more about this and hope the lino is OK. This is yet another sign of how football is falling into an abyss of abuse and people
Want us to shut up… pic.twitter.com/Cw0Q16Ky1u— Refsupportuk (@refsupportuk) September 24, 2023
New measures are being put in place from the start of the 2023-24 season, designed to try and prevent a rise in “unacceptable behaviour” towards match officials.
Hundreds of referees fear for their safety at grassroots level after being punched, headbutted, spat at among many other things.
A concerning number of grassroots officials told the BBC that they are worried about their safety and also expressed being dissatisfied by current abuse prevention measures.
It comes after BBC Radio 5 Live put out a survey with over 900 English referees having their say, 293 of them said they were physically abused by players, coaches, or spectators.
Nearly all of those have experienced verbal abuse, and according to the president of the Referees Association in England, who distributed the questionnaires to its 7,000 members in England, with the abuse of match officials seriously having an impact on their mental health, feeling they are “one decision away” from being smacked in the mouth.
FA CEO Mark Bullingham said: “This is a significant step for grassroots football in England, and clearly outlines our commitment to tackle incidents of serious misconduct.
“We frequently hear from grassroots participants that player behaviour is a growing issue and we’re determined to change this. So from the start of the 2023-24 season, players and coaches who repeatedly offend will hurt their team by losing points. Unacceptable behaviour towards other players and officials will not be tolerated.
“We hope this proves to be a strong deterrent which helps to improve the culture within the grassroots game.”
Bellingham also confirmed that the professional game was under similar scrutiny.
He added: “We’re also working with the professional leagues and other stakeholders to tackle poor behaviour in the professional game and will provide an update on this ahead of next season.”
See more on the BBC’s report into referee abuse, including what the questionnaire revealed by clicking HERE.
Twitter users reacted amid the shocking scenes with the linesman CHASED down and confronted by an abusive man at an under 18s match…
@FPLFOCUS1: Points deduction for his team, he wont do it again because he will know he will be to blame for his team going into minus points and not just losing 3pts on the day.
@Hibbo_FPL: No ref no game.
@LiveGRfootball: Would he chase a thug, waving a knife, who was causing trouble in the street?
@JR_Oak7: The fact that people are laughing is a joke, too. Just remember, no refs or officials and there’s no game.
@harryt84: If those players think this is funny, they shouldn’t be allowed to play.
@OwenH04: Would be class if all the local referees just tell the league to do one and then when the same creepy parents’ kids don’t have a game to play they’ll sharp change
@LiamHamilton91: Bloke should be banned from attending all levels of football if he think this is acceptable and maybe refs should unionise and boycott this team/league for a week or 2 until this sort of behaviour comes with a reasonable punishment
@Jjacko_1: So so poor. The kind of bloke that harasses a mum in the car when he thinks the parking spot is his property. Yet never has the same energy when there maybe some comeback. Bullying fat mess
@billinho8: Needs to be banned from all athletic events and banned the team for a year
@ColinM1956: Absolutely outrageous. Keep calling this out guys.
@Growlerxxx: Absolutely zero to laugh about ❌
@mcv1982: This should never happen and anyone doing this needs to be held to account.
@CoachGem: I had to ref my own team today because of the shortage of refs, and the shortage of volunteers. I have been the lino for two of my 5 teams for the last season as it is. Today is the last time I will ever ref. Never abused a ref. Today just solidified why I wont even question them
@NatasciaB_76: I am more concerned about the people who are filming and laughing. Why no one does anything to defuse the situation? As former ref who had to call police once due to threatens and abused even physically, this looks very frightening. #norefereenogame
@Tnewton_1988: The amount of abuse refs get us abysmal! It’s usually from folk who are pissed up from the night before who didn’t a punch up in outside the kebab house. Like people say no ref no game!
@ferninho: It’s disgusting. If the ref is wrong, he’s wrong. Get on with the game, he’s not going to change his decision. And at this level it’s meant to be recreation.
@aidenwb02: Ban him from every possible format of football, there is no place for people like that in football!
@LeedsCity_FC: And people wonder why there ain’t enough referees & Lino’s on a Sat anymore.
@RyanPalmer180: If I was in charge the league I’d stop this team playing the rest of the season and relegate them, hear them laugh then! Disgraceful behaviour, without officials there’s no matches!
@RMCW1970: Think it’s about time, where such issues happen, the player should have a field on the FA website, where it can be noted of an unruly parent. The clubs can decide whether to sign a player or not. Many clubs are doing what they can and work really hard on parent code of conduct.
@AJNadin5: I think several actions at the same time should cut. Ban the clown for three games. Fine him. Make him take an online welfare course. Give their club penalty points. Fine them. Points deduction for the team. If all these things happen at once there is absolute clarity of consequence.
@weslinden:
A) become a ref yourself if you think you can do better;
B) you generally get officials that are appropriate for your level.
@theo_wilkes: This is why no one wants to ref anymore. Then they’ll be wondering next week where the ref is and why they can’t get one

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