Referees fear for safety after abuse on and off the pitch
A FOOTBALL referee in a Welsh league says he and his colleagues are being verbally abused, even when they’re out with their friends.
Colin Williams has been a referee for 14 years and says the abuse is forcing many of them to hang up their whistles for good.
During his time on the pitch, the 47-year-old has experienced people swearing at him, kicking balls at him and throwing water over him. He even once had to lock himself in the changing rooms when a player became aggressive.
He says the abuse, which is at its worst in one particular league, has been getting more severe in recent months and even happens well outside the context of a match.
“The abuse varies in degrees but most of the incidents, if not all of them, happen in the Rhondda [and said.
“Every ref gets abuse of some sort during their time, but recently – say over the past 18 months – it’s been getting worse.”
Colin said he’s been forced to abandon three games, most recently because an aggressive player chased him across the pitch and threatened him.
“I handed out a penalty against him and he started disagreeing with the decision. I asked him to calm down and he carried on swearing at me – so I gave him a yellow card.
“He just went berserk! He ran towards me and if it wasn’t for his teammates getting in the way, God knows what would have happened.
“He was like a lunatic, so District] league,” he I walked off and locked myself in the changing room. He started to kick the door and threatened to kill me if he ever saw me out.
“Don’t get me wrong – a big part of being a football referee is being shouted at from the sidelines. It goes with the game. But you do get a few individuals who get more aggressive and abusive than what is normal.”
During his time as a referee, Colin says he’s developed “quite a thick skin” but says there are a lot of younger boys in the league who also get abused.
“It’s difficult enough as it is to be a referee during the game, without having to put up with abuse afterwards,” he said.
“A majority of the time it’s just banter, but when it becomes more vocal and when the tone becomes more aggressive or the abuse carries on after the game – that’s when becomes an issue.
“A ref in his twenties went out drinking with his mates recently and was approached in the pub and abused by supporters. He quit after that and has gone to a different league where people don’t know him.
“He’ll probably get the normal abuse, but at least he can walk away from the it game and that’s it. In the Rhondda everyone knows everyone. Why should this young ref stop socialising or going out to his local because some mindless idiots think it’s right to carry on abusing him after the game?
“Another friend of mine – who has been refereeing for around seven years – also told me he was going to quit because he didn’t want to take the abuse any more.
“Why would anyone want to give up their Saturday afternoon with friends and family to ref with this sort of abuse? Another ref was also chased to his car after the game and had to physically lock himself in there and call the police.
“The abuse has escalated – it’s got to the point where people are locking themselves in their cars, fearing for their safety, and quitting.”
While players can sometimes be aggressive, Colin said a majority of the abuse comes from people supporting on the sidelines.
He said: “Obviously, we can deal with abuse from players and coaches – we can have a word with them, give them a red or yellow card and report it to the South Wales FA. But with supporters, we just have no control.
“The league has been trying to police it – especially during the games and afterwards when we get abuse on social media. But how do you keep track of it?
“The thing is people might not name names on social media – but people can easily find out who was refereeing by looking at the fixtures.
“It’s a public form of abuse. These refs have friends and family on social media who have to witness the abuse too.
“As referees, we enjoy football just as much as the players and the people watching it.
“At the end of the day, if the league didn’t have any refs then there wouldn’t be any games at the weekend. Then the teams and supporters would be complaining and Rhondda football would dwindle away.
“We need to take a stand against this. I’ve been in the game for 14 years, so I’m old enough and wise enough to take it on the chin and have a word with the manager.
“But it might start making younger refs second guess their decisions or make them afraid to make decisions – which will have a bigger impact on the game.”
The Rhondda and District Football League has been contacted for comment.