A teenage referee has quit the game after allegedly enduring an hour of ‘shocking’ verbal abuse from players and coaches during an under 12s football match in Scotland
A teenage footie ref has quit the sport in disgust after suffering vile abuse from coaches – and kids as young as 11. League officials are examining an incident which saw the young official desert the sport he adores.
The 17-year-old boy was allegedly targeted during an under-12s match between Dunblane Soccer Club Cobras and Stenhousemuir Community Foundation. But after an hour-long barrage of alleged abuse, he has turned his back on the game.
A source told the Daily Record: “It was non-stop. Every decision the lad made was argued over, and the more the adults were at it, the more the kids joined in.
“The language was shocking. He was just a verbal punchbag for people who are really nothing more than bullies in tracksuits.
“Credit to the ref, he could have started flashing red cards everywhere or abandoned the match, but he was trying to give the boys a game of football and saw it through to the end.
“The whole nation’s up for Scotland in the World Cup yet people like this are destroying the grass roots of the game. No refs – no football.”
With numerous older refs departing due to abuse and intimidation, the SFA has been on a mission to recruit young officials who, after qualifying, are often introduced in simpler pre-teen fixtures.
The ill-tempered match last month at Dunblane High School was in an age group where league tables are yet to be established and teams of nine play for only an hour.
It’s understood that the referee – who we’ve decided not to identify – issued yellow cards to two players and a coach but resigned in his post-match report, blaming the conduct of both clubs.
The Scottish Youth Football Association has since initiated an investigation.
In 2024, referees’ boss Willie Collum personally reached out to two teenage officials in the Forth Valley to offer his backing after they were targeted during matches.