A&H

Referee attack

telboy2000

telboy2000

The man in the middle!
Yesterday during a adult sunday league game two players from opposing sides went in for a loose ball (50-50) and the player who didnt get the ball felt aggrieved as he thought he had been fouled in the process. After I had clearly indicated there was no foul he ran over to me and punched me in the face knocking me to the floor. I promptly got up went over to where my belongings were and called the police who then came and arrested the player. Needless to say I have put my report in to my county FA but to be honest I am now thinking about quitting as a referee...Has anyone ever had this happen to them? and what will the county FA do to this player?
 
The Referee Store
Wow, that's terrible. Firstly, and most importantly, are you ok?

Being assaulted is a terrible thing to happen and is thankfully something I've never experienced. The county FA should throw the book at him; you've got your report in, that's all you can do.

My advice would be to keep going. Get back out into the middle as soon as you possibly can; I know how difficult that may sound, but that may be the best thing. Do not let one idiot ruin everything for you!
 
I am fine physically and I really do want to get back out in the middle ASAP but I suppose in the back of my mind will always be, is it going to happen again today.
 
That's terrible, glad to hear you're ok.
I completely understand your apprehension, but since you seem to want to get back out there, try not to overthink this and just do it ! You'll see already if the incident bothers you during the game and you'll probably learn to live and ref with it :)
 
telboy2000 said:
..Has anyone ever had this happen to them? and what will the county FA do to this player?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, there are too many assaults still going on. There are a few discussed elsewhere on the site. The most important thing is your well-being. Get the next match out of the way, so you can see not all players are idiots.

The CFA should immediately suspend him from all football while the case progresses. Once your report is in, they will charge him with assault of a match official. For you sense of mind, I would ring your RDO at the CFA today to ensure that they have received the report and are acting accordingly.

Penalty, if proven, is normally sine die (lifetime) but he can appeal after 7 years + large fine.

The Police may take action, if so, it will delay the CFA case so that it does not interfere with a legal case.
 
Thankfully assaults on referees are rare, but of course they should never happen. I am glad you are ok, and I would advise you to contact your county referee co-ordinator and ask him to give you another game asap. Which, given the circumstances, I am sure he will.

And rest assured, the County FA and the referee association will give you 100% support, and the perpetrator will be banned for a long time.
 
This is just becoming more and more common.

What absolute pond life

I'm glad you're OK.

No referee deserves any form of assault. We are there so that 22 people can enjoy their Sunday morning or Saturday afternoon. Any player that even comprehends these sorts of actions don't deserve to be on a football pitch but in a small room with bars for windows and a toilet in the corner.

Get back on the horse. This is your hobby, your enjoyment and your weekend fun. Hard as it sounds, don't let this Neanderthal ruin your hobby. That's just what it is. Our hobby. Our passion. We are their to enjoy our weekend the same as the players are and without us they wouldn't kick a ball. I've said not before and I'll say it again, if you ignore a studs up tackle in the box and then book the player for appealing and restart with a corner down the far end of the pitch, you don't deserve by any stretch to be assaulted. People make mistakes, unfortunately being punched as a result can ultimately result in death. Disgusting actions by disgusting people.

Get back on the horse pal... We don't want to lose more promising referees because of idiots.

Who knows how many more top referees we could have if less hung up their boots over these morons.

Let's hope the guy gets banged up for this and when he gets out the CFA inform him that he is no longer welcome to be part of football.
 
Firstly, I'm terribly sorry to hear that and I hope you are OK.

I have been assaultedtwice - once was a push, nothing much, and discussed on here.

Three years ago I was headbutted by a player as I dismissed him (for calling me a c*nt after an offside call went against him). Similarly, I called the police, and he was arrested and given a caution. He was banned for life with the opportunity for appeal after 10 years.

My next game was atrocious. I was being assessed, and got ripped toshreds. My match control went to pot, I was nervous and I kept making mistakes. My advice would be to find a mentor - a friend, a colleague, a referee you trust - and ask them to come with you to your next OA game. Just to watch, togive advice, and to make you feel safe. If you're like me, you'll get over it. It will take a couple of games, yes, but the help of someone watching will make it easier.
 
That's really sad to hear, glad you are OK. If your RA are as supportive as mine do lean on them for support and with their help you will move on past this and be a better referee for it. Don't let one moron spoil it for you !
 
Je......

hope you're ok. It's up to you if you think it's worth it to continue - there's something to be said for 'not letting the b*****ds win', of course. But if you need a short break, or to jump down to some lower grade games for a bit to build your confidence back up then that may help.

too many of us have been assaulted - I've been assaulted and threatened a few times, but nothing that violent fortunately.
 
Late to the thread. Sorry to hear and hope you are OK. Contact the person who appoints your games and ask if you could get 'easier' games for your next few appointments. That would be at least two or three levels below the standard you usually get and also generally teams/clubs who are know to be well behaved. That would help get your confidence back up. Good luck and never quit.
 
HertsFinest said:
People make mistakes, unfortunately being punched as a result can ultimately result in death. Disgusting actions by disgusting people.
Click to expand...
Yeah, to further your point, in the past few years 2 refs have died from injuries steming from being punched by players in the US. Kinda scary if you ask me.
 
Just found from the county FA that the player that assaulted me last season only received a £50 fine and a 7yr suspension from football.....does anyone know if this is the norm or where they too lenient?
 
From my very limited experience of this I only know of one ref assault case and the ban was 5 years, so yes it is lenient but it may be fairly normal as well unfortunately! What did the police do? Hope you are ok and got back to refereeing? I cannot stress my opinion enough: Assaults on referees like this should always result in life bans, CFAs are soft on the issue!
 
I think the CFA's need to take into account the psychological effect this has on the referee going forward when rendering punishment as it has to set an example. The FA respect program is a joke in my opinion. The police dropped the case as they no witnesses had come forward, I am still refereeing but my faith in the CFA's has been shattered. The whole experience has made me realise that when you're out there in the middle, you are on your own.
 
Terrible and hopefully justice will be served.
Out of interest, if a bloke intends to throw a punch, I am defending myself. No way I am becoming as human punch bag.
What is the cfa's view on this??
 
Sorry to hear that.

As I've mentioned elsewhere on here, I got assaulted after a game by a player, which involved getting the police involved. The player involved only got a 6 month ban, and despite the club telling me that they no longer wanted the player on there books, he was on the touchline the next time I reffed them.

Luckily, I was ok, and it was probably for the best that I had a game the following morning so that I couldn't dwell on it too much.

Contact your FA & RA if you're a member, and they'll offer you support if you need it.
 
I'd like to collate these incidents. There are far too many, and far too many resulting in too short a bans. In fact... new thread time.
 
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