‘I SENT HIM OFFFF 14 TIMES’ TIMES
Football referees reveal just what it is like being in the middle of match
FOR many of us football is defined by moments of magic and beauty – think Gareth Bale’s stunning Champions League final bicycle kick or Hal Robson-Kanu turning three Belgian defenders inside-out as he sent Wales into the Euro 2016 semis.
But while the tens of thousands of amateurs and children who play in the grass-roots game may try to replicate the stepovers and stylish finishes of the game’s superstars there are also pernicious elements of the game that exist at all levels – especially around the treatment of officials.
The way referees are abused and insulted by players, coaches and fans remains, far too often, the ugly side of the beautiful game.
“Unfortunately it’s ‘part of the game’, as they say, but this shouldn’t be the case,” said Ryan Kenny, 26. He became the youngest person in the UK to pass the refereeing exam in 2004 at the age of just 11. His grandfather, Roger Upward, had been a referee in England and, when he retired, became an assessor.
Ryan, from Swansea, has been the man in the middle for more than half of his life, and admitted abuse is rife in the sport.
“There’s not a match that goes by when myself or another official in my team doesn’t get abuse towards them,” Ryan revealed. “The worst case of abuse I’ve ever had to deal with would be a few years back. The game was hostile and the supporters and team staff were out of control – constant foul and abusive language, lowest of the low comments.
“I was then approached at the end of the game by the manager and staff trying to get through and attack me. Fortunately my assistants formed a barrier so it stopped them.
“I continued to walk off down the tunnel where the players and staff were waiting for me – again a barrier was put around me. I finally got to my changing room and thought it was over.
“Later that evening I received a number of texts from my colleagues to look at social media. The club, players and spectators had abused my name all over social media. It was a nightmare.”
Rob Snaith has had similar problems. Rob, 60, got into refereeing 12 years ago to “give something back” to the sport after his playing days came to an end. However, during his time as an official the grandfather-of-two, a field team leader with utilities company E.ON, has seen the problem get worse.
“I played for more than 30 years. When I played if you abused or struck the ref it was a lifetime ban – now it’s two years. In the last 10 years it has definitely got worse – it’s the arguments and the threats of physical and mental violence,” said Rob, who takes charge of up to 38 games a season across junior and senior levels.
“I’ve sent someone off 14 times in one game, an under-16s player. He used every expletive you can think of to call me. His mother and father were on the line and they just stood there. He wouldn’t go off. I threatened to abandon the game. I thought: ‘I’m not taking this any more.’
“You get confronted about 60% of