Teenage football referee verbally abused at under-12s match

Young referees in Northumberland previously went on strike over verbal abuse

A 14-year-old football referee was subjected to "toxic" abuse by coaches, players and fans while officiating an under-12s match, his mother has said.

One adult screamed in his face, a player shouted insults at him and adults hurled derisory comments from the touchlines, the woman claimed.

The boy was taking a Northumberland League match on Sunday, weeks after its refs went on strike over abuse.

Northumberland FA is investigating along with Newcastle City Juniors FC.

The boy was in charge of an Under 12s game between Wallsend and Newcastle City Juniors when the abuse occurred, his mother said.

She said it came from people connected to Newcastle City Juniors, with incidents including:

• An adult linked to the club standing close to his face and bellowing he was "horrendous"

• A player hurling insults to him at the end of the game while in a group which included coaches

• An adult spectator "shouting aggressively" as he passed him

• Spectators shouting derisory comments about him and his decisions throughout the match

Newcastle City Juniors said it was holding "a full internal investigation" regarding the allegations and a player had been suspended.

'Just lip service'

The woman said her son became a referee in the spring and since then had officiated a large number of games, earning praise from coaches, players and spectators.

She said he was "hugely upset" by Sunday's incidents, adding: "Abuse like this is not acceptable."

She said the Northumberland FA and Northumberland Football League have campaigned for referees to be respected but action was needed otherwise it was "just lip service".

"Are clubs going to take time to educate their coaches, players and spectators or will this whole sorry saga of abuse lead to an exodus of referees?"

She said she wanted those involved to apologise to her son and "assurances that football as a community really does want to eradicate this toxic, abusive element within it".

A spokeswoman for Northumberland FA said the report was being investigated with "appropriate disciplinary action [to be] taken if proven", which could ultimately include spectator bans or expulsion from the league.

She said support was being offered to the referee and the FA has launched a campaign aiming to end abuse.

Northumberland FA's executive officer Andrew Rose-Cook, said: "Referee abuse is completely unacceptable, and we investigate all reports thoroughly.

"Many of our referees are under 18, and are still children themselves. They are still learning to officiate matches and should be supported, rather than being on the end of negative and abusive comments."

Steve Chambers, chairman of Newcastle City Juniors, said the club was also examining what had happened.

He told the BBC: "The football club have acted immediately and suspended the under-12 player from all training and matches until further notice and the investigation is complete."