The physical and verbal abuse endured by Capital Football referees and revealed by The Canberra Times is appalling and it needs to be dealt with strictly and swiftly.
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Referee abuse in any form is unacceptable, but the disgusting behaviour detailed in a leaked summary document of 35 incidents experienced by Capital Football referees over the past four years is intolerable.
It beggars belief why this has been allowed to continue for so long.
The harrowing dossier details abuse by players, spectators and team officials of referees who were simply doing their job.
One was punched in the nose. Another was headbutted during the game, then confronted again at full time with death threats and several attempts to punch him yet again.
The first incident resulted in just a four-match suspension, the second was banned for three matches.
There was an abusive team official who forced his way into the referee's change room after the match. And another where team officials locked the referees out of their change room altogether. No action was taken on either occasion.
And that seems to be where the true problem lies. Next to the details of the abhorrent behaviour, the dossier reveals that in at least 11 cases, Capital Football took no action.
It’s no wonder the game is hemorrhaging referees aged between 18 to 30, with 45 per cent leaving in the past two years when it appears that, until recently, Capital Football was taking no action to curb the problem.
Capital Football referee committee chairman Alex McConachie said it was a direct result of the abuse of match officials by players, officials and spectators that led to referees quitting.
Former high-ranking referee Ben Williams said the game has lost a lot of good people because of the abuse, and it’s the game itself that suffers.
Since the complaints were brought to light, Capital Football has set out an action plan to tackle the growing issue.
But while the responsibility for discipline lands squarely at the feet of Capital Football, it’s the players, spectators and team officials who need to taking responsibility for their own actions and the actions of their team.
Sportsmanship needs to make a comeback in the territory, and everyone needs to play a part in achieving that.
