Verbal and physical abuse of grassroots referees in England is getting so bad that lives are at risk, according to the president of the country’s Referees Association.
A BBC questionnaire answered by more than 900 amateur referees revealed worrying levels of abuse and intimidation, with several cases of death threats.
“You are deciding to get a slap in the face. One day a referee in this country will lose his life.
“It happened in Holland a few years ago and they really changed their culture in football,” Paul Field told the BBC.
Of the 927 respondents, 908 said they had experienced verbal abuse from spectators, players, coaches or managers, with nearly 300 saying they had been physically abused.