The Ref Stop

Open Age Racial?

BlackMambaRef

BlackMambaRef

New Member
Level 5 Referee
Now i'm never one for playing the race card but I was seriously offended yesterday.

As I walked up to a means team pre game, one of the players looked at me up and down in a confused and disgusted way and said "he's not the ref, he's part of the other team" referring to what I could only think of as being my ethnicity as I'm a ****stani and have a beard, and the opposition were predominantly ****stani and bearded as well. I then questioned him about his comments and whether they referred to my ethnicity to which he backtracked saying "oh it's because you're wearing a full kit." I then reminded him that i'm wearing all black, and opposition are wearing all orange, and if anything I was closer in kit colour to his purple kit.

Seriously annoyed about that one. Have put it in my match report.

Thoughts?
 
The Ref Stop
I put all racial incidents into misconduct reports – as its archaic mind-set that needs stamping out.

Players should think before they open their mouth.

In my game Sunday, the AR flags me over, says a player has called him a “cheating c***” – I ask him which one, he says “Number 12”, I approach (blue) Number 12, AR says, “No, the black lad.”

It now appears two players are both wearing a 12 shirt (for the blue team).

I then walk over to him (the black lad) and Blue 21 starts bee-lining for the AR loudly shouting “he cant say that…. HE CANT SAY THAT”

I stop my talk with blue 12, approach/intercept blue 21 to find the problem and he is APOPLECTIC. He’s already had a pretty ‘fueled’ game and he just seems furious that they’ve differentiated between the two Blue 12s with skin colour… And in my eyes, correctly – or am I wrong?

I didn’t feel the need to put a report in for this occasion – as nothing was wrong – except the lads reaction to it.

But can we go the other way on this? Somebody tries to make something racial (assumingly because they’re busting for a fight) but its not racial?

But whos to determine (on the day) if it is? Should I have asked the black lad if he had taken offence?

Where would that situation end?
 
Silhouette said:
I put all racial incidents into misconduct reports – as its archaic mind-set that needs stamping out.

Players should think before they open their mouth.

In my game Sunday, the AR flags me over, says a player has called him a “cheating c***” – I ask him which one, he says “Number 12”, I approach (blue) Number 12, AR says, “No, the black lad.”

It now appears two players are both wearing a 12 shirt (for the blue team).

I then walk over to him (the black lad) and Blue 21 starts bee-lining for the AR loudly shouting “he cant say that…. HE CANT SAY THAT”

I stop my talk with blue 12, approach/intercept blue 21 to find the problem and he is APOPLECTIC. He’s already had a pretty ‘fueled’ game and he just seems furious that they’ve differentiated between the two Blue 12s with skin colour… And in my eyes, correctly – or am I wrong?

I didn’t feel the need to put a report in for this occasion – as nothing was wrong – except the lads reaction to it.

But can we go the other way on this? Somebody tries to make something racial (assumingly because they’re busting for a fight) but its not racial?

But whos to determine (on the day) if it is? Should I have asked the black lad if he had taken offence?

Where would that situation end?
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In that situation I don't think the AR did anything wrong tbf!
 
AR did nothing wrong and regards to opening post how sure are you that he meant it racially.

Its not used any reference to your skin colour or ethnicity and although he may have been making a link it can't be seen as racist

I agree he could be racist but in truth if it's reported with the words he said, no one will do him for racism as the words in itself are not racist
 
HertsFinest said:
AR did nothing wrong and regards to opening post how sure are you that he meant it racially.

Its not used any reference to your skin colour or ethnicity and although he may have been making a link it can't be seen as racist

I agree he could be racist but in truth if it's reported with the words he said, no one will do him for racism as the words in itself are not racist
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i'm actually very sure he meant it in that way. If the way he looked at me wasn't enough, his excuse that my kit confused him (has he never seen a referee's kit before?) was a clear attempted cover up after the realisation of what he said.

Furthermore, certain words do not need to be said in order for something to be racist. I'm not saying this definitely was racist in itself, but it's definitely questionable, and I did take offense
 
It's not what is said, but it is how the actions or words make someone feel. You have done what you felt needed doing in putting the report in.

Good on you for having the courage of your convictions. Many would outwardly laugh it off and let it drop while having it bite inside them.
 
SM said:
It's not what is said, but it is how the actions or words make someone feel. You have done what you felt needed doing in putting the report in.

Good on you for having the courage of your convictions. Many would outwardly laugh it off and let it drop while having it bite inside them.
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Thanks mate
 
I agree he could well be racist, just saying it is unfortunately unlikely anything will happen as it has to be clear cut.

He will trip up one day and hopefully will be removed from our sport if he is a racist
 
Mmmm, I have to say as you've reported it in the op it seems pretty clear cut to me.

Probably the looking up and down bit before the comment is the biggest clue, but obviously you would have to be there to witness it first hand.

I just despair why anybody thinks racism is acceptable in any walk of life anywhere at any time. I just don't understand it.
 
HullRef said:
Were you wearing just your kit at the time or did you have a tracksuit top on?
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Full black kit with no jacket or tracksuit on!

Anyway I just hope that this was one person and I definitely don't hold it against their team or anyone else. It's just a shame that these issues still occur
 
BlackMambaRef said:
Full black kit with no jacket or tracksuit on!

Anyway I just hope that this was one person and I definitely don't hold it against their team or anyone else. It's just a shame that these issues still occur
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I know I wasn't there but for me it doesn't seem as though he meant it in an offensive way or to be racist, he probably thought that you were part of the other team.
Near me there aren't many referees from another ethnicity other than white english, also there aren't many players and definitely not a whole team with most players from an ethnic background so if I was playing a team mostly made up of ****stani men and a ****stani referee turned up I would think that the referee was from their team and not appointed by the league, and so I would expect him to give the 50/50's towards his own team like most club referees do.
 
Hulls hit the nail on the head I think there. Quite possible he thought you were a club referee hence the negative looks
 
@HullRef . I think you are way off the mark with the above comment......

He maybe didnt" mean".... to be racist or offensive ,looks to me like it was a stupid immature comment to show off in front of his mates

Unfortunately for him the referee found the comment both offensive and racist therefore it was ...End of Matter IMO

I sent a Black Guy off 3 seasons ago for calling me racist to my face as i found his comment extremely offensive !

its not a word to be thrown around flippantly in our modern times .
 
Beezer said:
@HullRef . I think you are way off the mark with the above comment......

He maybe didnt" mean".... to be racist or offensive ,looks to me like it was a stupid immature comment to show off in front of his mates

Unfortunately for him the referee found the comment both offensive and racist therefore it was ...End of Matter IMO

I sent a Black Guy off 3 seasons ago for calling me racist to my face as i found his comment extremely offensive !

its not a word to be thrown around flippantly in our modern times .
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I guess it's all open to opinion. If @BlackMambaRef found the comment offensive then fair enough, I can't argue with that. I just want to try and help him see a possible alternative meaning to what was said which he might not have thought of.
I have a lot of comments about my age and how I shouldn't be reffing because I'm too young such as "you look like you should be playing on that pitch ref (pointing to the U9's)". Do I think it's offensive, no I don't have a problem with it and I just have a laugh and move on. My friend on the other hand does find comments about his age quite offensive and there in lies the difference.
 
As HullRef suggests, with the law-wording being offensive, insulting or abusive - it leaves it open to interpretation. What one might find offensive or insulting, others might not. There is the issue!
 
SM said:
Very different thing hullref, very different thing (ageism and racism)
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Not as different as you think SM. I agree that racism has led to death and other brutal factors like slavery and age hasn't. However take minimum wage for example, I could do the same job as someone else and at the moment wouldn't necessarily have to get paid the same wage as them.
So far ageism hasn't got far enough along the line like racism where it gets to a point that people feel the need to abolish it and at the moment that is rightly so. And don't forget, the only reason that racism stopped is because a group of people rightly stood up for it and changed the whole world's perception
 
Look at the examples given, there is a massive difference between them.

We are not talking about discrimination here. We are talking about abuse. Again, different things.
 
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