Assaulted by U12 player...

[ramref]

Hi all, a very rare one yesterday.

U12 match, last minute, blue team 9-2 down. game is dead. In the first half I gave a rather soft penalty to the blues which they scored. Similar foul happens on a red player so I feel I need to give that one too. Pen is taken and saved, ball out for a corner. As we're getting ready for the corner, blue number 4 comes and asks if they've payed me. straight out dissent. YC sin bin. When asking for his last name all his teammates around him started laughing which indicates a false name. His coach walks on to ask whats going on, I explain and he begins taking the player off.

Player then turns around with his manager right next to him, begins running to me shouting "your f**king s**t ref" while giving me the 2 fingers. Before I can pull the red card out he begins punching me full force. Didn't hurt me but was quite shocking. Manager and other players pull him away, and he walks off. Suppose he did that because he knew how late we were in the game he wouldnt get back on. Other blue manager didn't seem to do much either, which is slightly worrying. The coach who pulled the player off was completely cooperative though, and apologised to me for his player's actions and so did the reds manager, players and parents. The league and FA have seemed to been good with it so far.

Just want to know your thoughts on this
Cheers

 

[RefereeX]

Wow. Easy to dismiss this as he's a very young child, but there's a fair chance that someone who does this as a young child will do it again when they're not such a young child. Kid possibly has situations going on outside of football causing him to react like that, but it doesn't excuse it.
Needs a lengthy ban from playing to make him realise how unacceptable it is, but also needs a little bit of support I would think, as that's not normal 12 year old behaviour.

 

[one]

I wonder if this was the first time? They don't go from zero to 100 in one game at that age. Did his team officials see this coming? Though my boys are adults now, I had been involved in managing/coaching their teams when they were early teens. At that age (or any age), it's not just about teaching them how to play football.