DIR Return Create A Forum - Home
---------------------------------------------------------
RateTheRef
HTML https://ratetheref.createaforum.com
---------------------------------------------------------
*****************************************************
DIR Return to: General Discussion
*****************************************************
#Post#: 97518--------------------------------------------------
Non-League game abandoned following abuse
DIR By: TA_Ref
Date: November 15, 2025, 2:50 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
HTML https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c709ll70d8go
Shambles. Not acceptable anywhere, let alone on a football
field.
#Post#: 97520--------------------------------------------------
Re: Non-League game abandoned following abuse
DIR By: bmb
Date: November 15, 2025, 4:00 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
It feels like discrimination is on the rise again. Either that
or better reporting of games being abandoned/having long delays
due to racism or misogyny. Disgusting 🤬
#Post#: 97533--------------------------------------------------
Re: Non-League game abandoned following abuse
DIR By: Leggy
Date: November 16, 2025, 5:07 am
---------------------------------------------------------
It is disgusting.
It is 100% not acceptable.
But vile to abuse to any referee, or any gender, race, etc. is
disgusting and 100% not acceptable.
One of the required skills of a referee is resilience -
especially in the face of opposition. A study (many years ago)
showed that referees - as a body of people - had more belief in
their decision making abilities than the general public.
Whether that belief was justified or not was not studied!
I am not saying that this referee, in this match, should have
accepted what was said to her. For one, I was not there to hear
what was said and how it was said. I suspect no-one who reads
of contributes to this forum was.
It might have sent a better message to the abuser(s) if the game
had been completed and then the full details of the incident
made public to shame the idiots?
#Post#: 97534--------------------------------------------------
Re: Non-League game abandoned following abuse
DIR By: Blind Referee
Date: November 16, 2025, 5:33 am
---------------------------------------------------------
Says twice in the report that it was a comment of a sexist
nature - not abusive or discriminatory and that the game
continued until half time ? Only then did the referee decide she
couldn’t continue ?
I may be in a minority here, but if we are abandoning games
solely because of sexist comments, have we not lost the plot ?
Is this were we are going now - abandoning games because a
member of the crowd has said something we don’t like ?
#Post#: 97535--------------------------------------------------
Re: Non-League game abandoned following abuse
DIR By: bmb
Date: November 16, 2025, 5:38 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: Leggy link ---
> But vile to abuse to any referee, or any gender, race, etc. is
disgusting and 100% not acceptable.
--- End Quote ---
Absolutely agree 100%
--- Quote from: Leggy link ---
>
> It might have sent a better message to the abuser(s) if the
game had been completed and then the full details of the
incident made public to shame the idiots?
>
--- End Quote ---
I disagree. There's been so much sweeping under the carpet of
previous incidents with the authorities promising to do more but
'let's not embarrass ourselves in public about how bad it really
can be' kind of attitudes and it has made zero difference. Too
many words from the Ivory Towers and not enough real meaningful
action.
Stop the game, abandon it. If the idiot of the day has been
identified then ban them from all football related activity - 3
years, 5 years, 10 years - no appeals. Notices up on the county
FA's website and in the local/national press with a photo of
them, details of the incident and highlighting the fact they are
the one responsible for taking away the enjoyment of others to
play/participate in a game. Fine the club they are attached to
for failing to fulfil a fixture and award a 3-0 win to the other
team. Enough is enough - time to actually get tough and start
protecting all of our referees especially those lower down the
pyramid who don't have the benefit of stewards etc. to afford
them some degree of protection on a match day.
#Post#: 97536--------------------------------------------------
Re: Non-League game abandoned following abuse
DIR By: bmb
Date: November 16, 2025, 5:42 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: Blind Referee link ---
>
> Says twice in the report that it was a comment of a sexist
nature - not abusive or discriminatory and that the game
continued until half time ? Only then did the referee decide she
couldn’t continue ?
>
> I may be in a minority here, but if we are abandoning games
solely because of sexist comments, have we not lost the plot ?
Is this were we are going now - abandoning games because a
member of the crowd has said something we don’t like ?
>
--- End Quote ---
So what we allow sexist comments also known as discrimination on
the grounds of gender. What else - racist comments, homophobic
comments, anti-disability comments??
They'd not be tolerated towards players and coaches so why
should they be tolerated towards referees?
#Post#: 97537--------------------------------------------------
Re: Non-League game abandoned following abuse
DIR By: TA_Ref
Date: November 16, 2025, 6:47 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: Blind Referee link ---
>
> Says twice in the report that it was a comment of a sexist
nature - not abusive or discriminatory and that the game
continued until half time ? Only then did the referee decide she
couldn’t continue ?
>
> I may be in a minority here, but if we are abandoning games
solely because of sexist comments, have we not lost the plot ?
Is this were we are going now - abandoning games because a
member of the crowd has said something we don’t like ?
>
--- End Quote ---
I can’t agree with that I’m afraid. People do it because they
can get away with it and not get punished for it (more often
than not).
I’m not saying that an official shouldn’t be able to cop some
criticism. As referees, part of our job is to listen to players
and coaches moaning at us on the pitch. We need to block out as
much crowd noise as possible. There are generic football chants
about referees that I don’t take issue to e.g. ‘You don’t know
what you’re doing’.
As soon as a comment directed towards an official is personal,
that’s where it crosses the line. When something is said about a
person’s gender, race, personality or whatever else, then it
must be raised to senior people. That’s where it’s unacceptable.
#Post#: 97540--------------------------------------------------
Re: Non-League game abandoned following abuse
DIR By: DublinRef
Date: November 16, 2025, 7:05 am
---------------------------------------------------------
I don’t agree with Blind Referee’s comment, I feel the referee
was correct to abandon the match, though I am a tad confused as
to why they waited until half time if that is the case.
I do wonder where we draw the line though. Any comments on
gender, race or sexuality I think we can all agree warrant the
most serious response from match officials and governing bodies.
But what about personal comments of a different nature? What if
a spectator shouted about a referees age, weight, height or
other physical characteristics. I’m unsure whether most would
support an abandonment for that level of offence.
And how does this scale? I know there is a procedure for EPL and
UEFA games for example to deal with chanting by fans and the
likes, but if a spectator shouted a sexist comment a female AR
say, would the PGMOL back a referee who abandons the game? I
doubt it. In that case, we aren’t really worried about the
underlying wrongness of what is said, but about how brave we are
allowed to be in sending a message.
To be clear, I would have no issue with a referee abandoning a
match for any of the reasons I have noted regardless of the
level. But I am concerned we are expecting referees with less
protection at lower levels to lead the charge while top level
officials can turn a deaf ear.
Finally, I agree with bmb that these issues do appear to be
getting worse. A great many people seem very detached these
days, and while I don’t want to pass some big societal comment,
nor am I qualified to do so, I do find in my own life that
empathy is a value fast going out of fashion.
#Post#: 97549--------------------------------------------------
Re: Non-League game abandoned following abuse
DIR By: Tonydent
Date: November 16, 2025, 8:51 am
---------------------------------------------------------
From what I read in a post from Rushden & Diamonds, they tried
to identify the perpetrator(s) up to half time but were
unsuccessful. As such, they chose to abandon at half time.
#Post#: 97552--------------------------------------------------
Re: Non-League game abandoned following abuse
DIR By: rustyref
Date: November 16, 2025, 9:45 am
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: Blind Referee link ---
>
> Says twice in the report that it was a comment of a sexist
nature - not abusive or discriminatory and that the game
continued until half time ? Only then did the referee decide she
couldn’t continue ?
>
> I may be in a minority here, but if we are abandoning games
solely because of sexist comments, have we not lost the plot ?
Is this were we are going now - abandoning games because a
member of the crowd has said something we don’t like ?
>
--- End Quote ---
A comment of a sexist nature is by definition discriminatory.
Gender is a protected characteristic under UK law, therefore
making a comment based on a match official's gender is
discrimination.
Would you be saying the same if the comment was about the
referee's skin colour or sexuality, they are protected
characteristics just as gender is?
*****************************************************
Page 1 of 2
DIR Next Page