Referee calls for FA support after attack by spectator

A football referee has called for more support from the FA after a spectator who attacked him following an under-7s match had his touchline ban overturned.

The Merseyside official was punched twice after complaining about how a teenage referee officiating the children's game had been threatened.

He said he was "sickened" after the spectator, Adam Sears, said he would "drop" the teenager, who had been in charge of his stepson's match.

The FA said abuse was "unacceptable".

Sears was convicted of assault by beating and the use of threatening behaviour to cause fear, he was sentenced to 150 hours community service.

The 29-year-old had been watching his stepson play and became angry when the boy was substituted.

According to an FA judgement, it was claimed he repeatedly told the young referee he would "drop him" through gritted teeth while clenching his fists.

The teenage official blew the whistle and abandoned the game.

'Lorry load of aggro'

The older referee, who was overseeing another match at the same venue, was alerted and spoke with the managers of the team in which Sears' stepson was playing.

CCTV footage shows Sears then pulling up in car and getting out, before throwing two punches at the older referee.

The official said "justice was done" after the sentencing, but he feared for the teenager's safety and urged the FA to protect young referees.

"It was an under-7s game. It wasn't the World Cup final. It is meant to be fun at that age."

He said the assault also "knocked" the teenager's confidence, adding that Sears' behaviour was "a lorry load of aggro".

He said the FA had promised the teenager a mentor but "it hasn't materialised".

Sears recently appealed against an initial five-year suspension from all football activities including attending matches.

In the judgement, Liverpool County FA said it "imposed a ground ban by default in such cases, having received guidance".

However, the FA appeal board described the ban as "excessive" and said "there was no justification in the reasons as to why a ground ban was considered appropriate, given the purported intention to impose the minimum sanction".

It ruled that the suspension should be amended so Sears could watch games at venues, but conceded his behaviour in January had been "confrontational and aggressive".

The response comes after hundreds of grassroots referees told the BBC they fear for their safety when officiating and have been dissatisfied with previous measures to tackle abuse.

In October, Merseyside Youth Football League held a strike in protest against aggression towards referees.

In a recent statement to the BBC, an FA spokesman described the 31,000 referees in England as "the lifeblood of our game".

"We understand the challenges that some of them face, and we have been very clear that all forms of abuse, whether on or off the pitch, are completely unacceptable.

"While it is only a small minority of people who behave badly to referees, this is still too many, and we will continue to do everything we can to stamp out this behaviour from our game."

• 'It can't go on' - 380 bans for referee attacks

• Bodycam trial for grassroots referees set for 2023

• Assault arrest after referee injured at match

The FA recently launched a three-year strategy, which includes increasing safety for referees.

Steps involve the ongoing trial of body cameras for grassroots referees, and points deductions for teams whose "players or coaches commit repeated offences of serious misconduct".

Andrew Raisbeck, a referee in Oxfordshire, has recently developed an app to report abusive touchline behaviour after his experience of dealing with abuse.

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