I'm not sure how to write this, but I had a truly awful game this afternoon and need to say something.
I had four cautions and two reds. But it was what happened afterwards I find worrying.
I've refereed for over twenty years and have never come across anything so savage before. One of the home team had a very short fuse. I sent him off in the last minute, ten minutes after he had come on as a sub and five minutes after cautioning him. I checked he went to the dressing room before restarting. But he went in, trashed it, came back out and punched an opponent. The opponent reacted, but then his mrs tried to get their dog to attack the player. The home Secretary (female) tried to intervene, worried about the dog, and was assaulted by a third female spectator. She was then also assaulted twice by the away player. It really kicked off at this point. I had players, spectators dogs and everything else you can think of getting involved.
I managed to get them all calmed down with my whistle and got the away team to leave the ground so it couldn't kick off again. The home team secretary is heavily pregnant. She was on the ground crying both with pain and also scared about the baby, while we waited for the ambulance. Her kids were terrified because of what they'd seen so they were crying as well, and her husband looked like he wasn't far away either. I'm hoping she hasn't lost the baby but after what I saw I'm not hopeful.
It was a generally nice tempered game played in great weather. That should not have happened. And now I feel awful.
I had four cautions and two reds. But it was what happened afterwards I find worrying.
I've refereed for over twenty years and have never come across anything so savage before. One of the home team had a very short fuse. I sent him off in the last minute, ten minutes after he had come on as a sub and five minutes after cautioning him. I checked he went to the dressing room before restarting. But he went in, trashed it, came back out and punched an opponent. The opponent reacted, but then his mrs tried to get their dog to attack the player. The home Secretary (female) tried to intervene, worried about the dog, and was assaulted by a third female spectator. She was then also assaulted twice by the away player. It really kicked off at this point. I had players, spectators dogs and everything else you can think of getting involved.
I managed to get them all calmed down with my whistle and got the away team to leave the ground so it couldn't kick off again. The home team secretary is heavily pregnant. She was on the ground crying both with pain and also scared about the baby, while we waited for the ambulance. Her kids were terrified because of what they'd seen so they were crying as well, and her husband looked like he wasn't far away either. I'm hoping she hasn't lost the baby but after what I saw I'm not hopeful.
It was a generally nice tempered game played in great weather. That should not have happened. And now I feel awful.