A&H

attack on referee

The Referee Store
Basically on Thursday night the player was sent off but refused to leave the pitch and threatened the referee, so the match was abandoned. Saturday the same player was given a yellow card for mouthing off at different ref, he continued to swear and abuse the ref. So as he reached for the red card the player just punched him, knocking him out. He has a suspected fractured jaw and obviously a lot of swelling and bruising. The player is just recently out of prison for battery of his ex girlfriend and was playing under a false name as he already had a lifetime ban from football. Police have now cautioned him GBH. FA need to do something and fast. Frankly there is NO respect for officials at all these days and it comes from the top. When you see on tv how premiership players and managers treat the officials it sets that as an example to grass routes matches.
 
Absolutely awful, unfortunately this kind of thing seems to be increasingly common. I hope the player ends up back in prison where he belongs, and that the ref involved keeps going.
 
You have to wonder how a team would allow a player to play under a false name when he has that kind of ban on him? Someone in the team is going to know him surely?
 
Hes a friend of the manager @Supermonkey

Don posted this on the league forum which can be seen at http://pub16.bravenet.com/forum/static/show.php?usernum=1357947157&frmid=6&msgid=0

I like to take this opportunity to give you an update
I like to thank referees, clubs and friends for there support and best wishes in this traumatic time for me and my family it is much appreciated.
I was taken to hospital and seen very quickly. X-rays were taken and no breaks were evident at the time but they want me back in a couple of days time once the swelling hopefully goes down. I have to go to my dentist on Tuesday to check there are no damage to my teeth. I have an inch cut to my lip I cannot see through my right eye due to the swelling and bruising and cannot eat at the moment. The bruising is now coming out on the right side of my face and I am bloody sore
As for the incident I cannot comment as it is in the hands of the police who will charge him at the moment with ABH if the injuries become more serious the charges might in increase. You must all be aware the police will have to deal with this matter first and then DCFC & SDL will do what they have to do
On another thread it was questioned why I was doing the game the reason was that I was on call with the fire service and I was serving my community. Incidentally with this incident occurring it meant that the fire engine was no longer available and put at risk the people of Ashbuton and surrounding area at risk.
The other thing I am really p----d of about is the fact I will not be able to do my cup final on Friday East Allington v Teignmouth.

Once again thank you all for your support

Don Distin
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I agree, 100%, that this is nothing less than disgraceful. Great to read that the referee is in a reasonably positive mood.

On the flip side, I would say that for @Matt Redmond to say there's 'no respect' is an incredibly brash statement, which I vehemently disagree with.
There are thousands of games across a variety of levels every weekend, officiated by thousands upon thousands of volunteer referees. These incidents are, thankfully, incredibly rare. Yes, we've seen 3 this week get talked about. Why? Because they are that rare! If it was common practice, no-one would talk about them.

The respect for referees has come on massively in the last few seasons. Assaults on referees are extremely rare, unlike a few years ago. Yes, we'd all love to have the same amount of respect as our colleagues in rugby and American sports, but that simply isn't the case at the moment.

Please don't take this response as me not caring about a fellow FA referee being assaulted, that's not the case - I sincerely hope he is okay and recovers well and is psychologically stable enough to carry on living a normal life and going back to work.


Just to add, the club, along with those senior guys that allowed him to sign & play, will be on the receiving end of an extremely severe punishment. I also fully expect the player in question to be charged and sent down.
 
Too true, Dan. Since I started officiating, the level of respect for referees has climbed much higher. Where players used to openly comment that all referees were ****e and just out to get them, they are now far more likely to shake my hand and say "you do a tough job, thank you I would want to do it." I often think that some colleagues would like to see players take their red cards with a thanks and a hand shake.
 
Rugby refs get the correct respect, I'm sorry to bring up the rival sport but Rugby have it right, they are so well respected and it would be such a confidence booster for younger referees like myself to get into the game more. Some teams respect my decisions and the coaches just tell the players to let me do my job and get on with it. Although some teams have a go when they have no idea what theyre going on about! I had an incident where a parent picked the ball up when it was still technically in play and the kid was going to keep it in so I gave a drop ball and when it was in play just as they were, let the kid get on with it. One of the coaches was going ape with " HOW CAN YOU GIVE A DROP BALL FOR THAT" and I tried to explain why but in truth it was through quick elimination of free kicks and letting a throw in happen. But when I tweeted one of my referee tutors Jonathan Hunt (FL Assistant) he said drop ball so i got it right and got abused for it. If i got it wrong ok fair enough but still shouldnt happen IMO
 
"Torre manager, confirmed the player had used another name to play in Saturday's match after he had been sent off in a match on Thursday."

Absolute joke, when you think things like team lines and player registration processes are in place to make sure everyone can be identified at any time in case anything happens. I think it's a prudent move for this club to withdraw from the league and subsequently fold. Clubs which promote and allow such abuse of the system should have no business being involved in organised football.

The sad thing is, I've heard stories and speculation that this probably happens much more commonly than you would think at the amateur level. It is a dangerous thought
 
I've only just read all of this, including the referee's comments. The incident is totally unacceptable at any level in any sport anywhere on the planet. I'd like to offer my total support, and I'm sure that of all of my Oxfordshire colleagues, to Don Distin. I wish you a speedy and full recovery mate, and trust you'll be 'on the whistle' for many seasons to come despite this lowly creature's efforts.
 
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