Nice to see a ref dealing properly with dissent for a change. Though I do feel a bit for Fulham, they were the better team for most of that match until they lost their heads for a couple of minutes. Oh well, a win is a win. And keeps the hope alive for a bit for a potential three cup win season.
1 Like
Mitrovich technically “assaulted” the ref and could now get a 5 year ban
2 Likes
In the grand scheme of things it wasn’t the worst assault so certainly will be at the lower end. Plus, although this was generally a well reffed game, the incident has come after a string of poor officiating, which may make it harder for the FA to sell a harsher punishment
It’s not that this game that is the problem, just ban him for the rest of the season and fine him a weeks wages for each week.
The problem is that such disgusting behaviour is reflected all the way down to junior football with officials being assaulted and threatened, is if the FA do very little then it opens up the possibility for the situation getting much worse for those officials.
What would you say if a cadet pushed a match official for whatever sport at an RAFAC event??
Not long enough left in the season, I’d ban him for next season too.
Exactly this.
2 Likes
If they, the FA don’t deal with this robustly then it will happen again and in lower leagues you will get a match official seriously injured and heaven forbid killed.
I suspect the FA will throw lower league officials under the bus and do nothing. The other people who need to step up are the games officials as a group and start to issue yellow and red cards for dissent, and only have the team captain approach a match official or the manager to the 4th one.
If this was rugby league, Metrovic would have been carried off by his playing colleagues after someone had had a word about his conduct, but there again it would not have happened.
3 Likes
Oh I hope they really do throw the book at him. But the FA are spineless so I highly doubt they will.
A player did that to a ref in lacrosse and got a three year ban. Another ran through the back and knocked a ref down, injuring him and taking him out for a few weeks. Lifetime ban in all countries. I had a player try and intimidate me (not actually physical but clearly threatening it) in the first match at the Euros. That was his tournament over. But we remember these incidents because they are so rare due to the strict punishments.
The FA don’t care enough about senior league refs. Why would they about the lower leagues?
4 Likes
Part of the issue is nowadays many players think they are bigger than the clubs they play for and bigger than the officials that officiate them.
I was glad to see the red come out so quickly, it doesn’t happen enough.
May be a sweeping statement, but rugby referees seem to be able to command respect and control a game much more and thats coming from myself as a football fan.
Is it because there is less money in it and players aren’t bigger than there clubs? I’m not 100% sure, but things need to change.
1 Like
I agree re Rugby refs. And that’s the approach we take in lacrosse. The biggest difference to me is communication. In rugby the ref is talking the whole time. They warn players when they are getting close to fouling. They are quicker to penalise people when they get aggressive and make it clear that they will talk to the captain/player involved in the incident and no one else. Football refs generally don’t communicate in the same way during the course of play and usually don’t help themselves when they start getting crowded by players.
I think one reason they don’t like to start penalising is that a yellow card by itself doesn’t mean much. Bringing in a sin bin system (present in rugby and lacrosse) has more of an impact I find. Players get time to cool down. They also see that the consequence of poor behaviour, whether unsportsmanlike conduct or foul play, means the team struggle playing man down, but they then get a chance to make it right.
2 Likes
Rugby kept control of their sport rather than sell out to TV. Also, with rugby the clubs kept a grip of their players as did the match officials.
2 Likes
Sadly in my home city.
‘Knife pulled on parent’ at children’s football match
The Under-10s match had to be abandoned after the alleged incident
-
Bookmark
JJ
Wavertree Botanic Park, Liverpool (Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
A knife was allegedly pulled on a parent at a children’s football match.
The alleged incident happened during the Warner Rangers’ match with Townsey Inter at Botanic Park in Wavertree, on March 19.
It is understood the Under-10s match, which kicked off at 11am, was abandoned after a “confrontation between the referee and spectators”.
The ECHO understands when one man, believed to be a parent, allegedly tried to step in to diffuse the situation, he “had a knife pulled on him” by another spectator.
One parent, who was at the park watching his son play in another game nearby, told the ECHO: "I was watching from another game. I could hear it getting more and more heated. It sounded like a Premier League match with the amount of noise.
READ MORE: ‘Get off her’ - Mother’s Day brawl breaks out in Baltic Triangle
"The referee abandoned the match in the end. One of the young kids surrounded the referee then a parent went over to the referee to try and calm it down and he had a knife pulled on him.
“I only saw it from a distance. The referee was just trying to get away from the match as quick as possible. The one who had the knife just disappeared and got off. I don’t want my kids seeing anything like that.”
The two teams are believed to play in the Edge Hill Junior Football League, with Townsey Inter and Warner Rangers sitting first and second in the league respectively.
Both teams have been contacted for comment by the Liverpool ECHO.
A spokesperson for Liverpool County FA told the ECHO: “We are aware of an alleged incident however we are awaiting official reports so have no further information at this point.”
Merseyside Police was approached for comment.
How does one young child surround a referee?
Have you seen the size of some kids these days?
2 Likes
The local rag reporting has never been brilliant but the same thing is happening far too often.
Rumour has it a 10 game ban is inbound.
Considering what is happening in lower leagues it’s not long enough and after the lack of action about the Fernandes incident, that maybe grounds for an appeal.
1 Like
Examples need to be made and if needs to start with the Premier League, but it also needs to be consistent.
Maybe a 10 game ban with new guidelines from the start of next seasons.
2 Likes
10 Games is the precedent - David Prutton
The booking of Lemina in the Wolves v Southampton game was a great example of what should happen.
Really needs consistency.
The “top” teams are the worst at surrounding the referee and they should all be booked, wonky only need to happen for 2 weeks before it stops
2 Likes
I’ve said for years if you book every player who surrounds the ref from the start of the season it will be solved by the end of the month when loads of players are on bans.
2 Likes
Also book the managers as they are the ones who should be setting standards for their players.
1 Like