Referee crisis is hitting league

ONE point of concern to the Dundee Saturday Morning Football League (DSMFL), and football locally in general, is the availability of referees for midweek games at this time of the year.

With Junior, Midlands Amateurs, Youth and Women’s football being played, there is a dearth of referees forcing the postponement of five fixtures tonight.

DSMFL secretary Steve McSwiggan said: “We need to do more to encourage guys and girls into refereeing.

“It is, though, little wonder many give up as the level of abuse and criticism, if anything, is increasing despite the best efforts of local associations to stamp down on bad behaviour.

“It urgently needs addressed both locally and nationally as the ‘Respect the Ref’ agenda we see mooted is not translating into improved standards of behaviour on the park nor, especially, on the sidelines.

“We predicted this crisis several years back and have tried our best to address what is now seen as the norm. That is to contest every decision and barrage the ref with abuse for 90 minutes and beyond.

“If guys running clubs and boys playing do not wake up to this, they will either have to accept the fact their games will not be going ahead or they must put up with a standard of refereeing where only the most thick skinned, and not necessarily the most effective, survive. It’s a sad state of affairs.

“Myself and others on our own and national committees feel things won’t change until we sort this cancer out.

“We have seen plenty of good referees leave.

“Unless we address it, we will have failed in our duties as custodians of the amateur game.

“Football is an emotional game though there is a gap between being passionate and being abusive.

“Sentencing powers of a disciplinary committee of three games suspension for abuse of a referee is woefully inadequate.”