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Misconduct Reports to County FA - Replies?

Gabriel

Gabriel

Well-Known Member
I only qualified back in August, and for several reasons have only done 6 games at youth level thus far. In October, I submitted an extraordinary misconduct report to my local County FA (in relation to abuse I received), and have not heard anything back since. Is this normal or not? Thanks for reading!
Further context if wanted: I would not say those things to an adult, never mind someone my age, and this led me to take a step back from refereeing for about 2 months as it knocked my confidence a bit, which is hard to do as I am used to some horrible things coming my way. Have returned now though and enjoying it more than ever, because I know they didn't beat me (cheesy but true).
 
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Sometimes you’ll hear back, sometimes you won’t. Don’t be disheartened if you don’t, from what I understand, it’s just not always the sone practice.

If you have any concerns regarding the incident or it’s handling, best port of call is to contact your RDO.

Don’t stress it, and keep the reffing up :)
 
Thanks for the help, I just wasn't too sure as this part of refereeing wasn't covered in much detail on my course. It'll take a lot to stop me from refereeing as I have always wanted to do it, as was never a good player but love football.
 
You would usually only hear further if there is to be a hearing (on Zoom or Teams) if the club did not accept the charge.
The RDO or CFA Disciplinary Manager will be happy to advise you.
Keep going!
 
Unless it was an assault you generally won't hear anything unless the player / club request a personal hearing. If they accept the charge or request a written hearing there's no need to involve the referee, although I'm sure if you ask your RDO he or she will be able to advise what happened. Personally speaking, I prefer not to know what happened, the way I see it is once I've taken action on the pitch and submitted the report(s) I've done my job and it is then out of my hands. Couple of things though ...

You mention your age, if you are under 18 and you are abused by an adult that could well fall under a child protection issue.

Did you take any action about the abuse at the time? If it was by people that can receive cards, i.e. players and coaches / managers, and you didn't take any action at the time it becomes very difficult for the CFA to issue a charge. The team would just appeal it on the basis that no on-pitch action was taken, and on that basis would be pretty much 100% guaranteed to win the appeal.
 
It was U9's, so players weren't involved. It was actually the CAR from the side that lost after the match had finished, and the ironic thing was that he claimed to be a L3 ref himself. I took as much action as possible, by informing him that he was being reported. He also had a colleague who works with him at Aston Villa on the sidelines, scouting the players, and when I noticed that, I also informed him of the incident, hoping he could help (which he did by reassuring me that I had an excellent game - his exact words).
 
RustyRef said:
You mention your age, if you are under 18 and you are abused by an adult that could well fall under a child protection issue
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This is something I thought at the time, so I informed the CFA of this at the time through relevant safeguarding officers, and also in my report on WGS, but didn't seem to change anything.
 
My son had a misconduct submitted a few months back and he was sent the full report and also shared with me as his 'adult'.

He didn't need to attend a hearing as it was uncontested, but it did feel like good practice to get the findings of the panel.
 
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Gabe said:
It was U9's, so players weren't involved. It was actually the CAR from the side that lost after the match had finished, and the ironic thing was that he claimed to be a L3 ref himself. I took as much action as possible, by informing him that he was being reported. He also had a colleague who works with him at Aston Villa on the sidelines, scouting the players, and when I noticed that, I also informed him of the incident, hoping he could help (which he did by reassuring me that I had an excellent game - his exact words).
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If it was a referee which was reported for abuse, then the CFA have a different set of protocols to follow. If he was a L3, the charge may have been referred the National FA to deal with; as it brings possible suspension from officiating as well as potential fines for the club.

On the assumption he is a L3 referee, he will have done all the safeguarding courses required; so with you being under 16 means he could have some real issues to deal with.

I would contact your RDO if you want to know more.
 
Thanks for that help. The other day, I coincidentally had an email from the CFA of the home team (the 2 teams come under different CFAs - might be why it took longer), informing me that they had been charged and fined, but I still don't know what happened to the away team, and it has got to the point where I have stopped being bothered. Saying that, if the home team were fined for their VERY minor part in the incident, I can only imagine what they might do to the away team, especially with the FAs new "Enough is Enough" campaign.
 
If only the FA actually cared about their referees, might not be such an endangered species then 🤣
 
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