Tough rules for attacks on refs

Tough new punishments are being drafted in by the Kidderminster and District League in a bid to cut the number of physical and verbal attacks on football referees.

The league, which includes teams from around the Dudley Borough and Wyre Forest, is being left without enough referees because they are so fed-up of the barrage of abuse they have to put up with.

Stricter punishments of players guilty of attacking referees or each other are now being drafted in with longer suspensions in the pipeline.

League chairman Ernie Pike said he had noticed a drop in referee numbers.

Now it is increasing the length of suspensions for abusive players. At the moment players can be given 112 days but that is to increase from next season.

He said: "We have got concerns about these things so we have polled all the clubs and they all thought something needed to be done.

"From the start of next season anyone who accumulates 100 days worth of suspensions will be banned for the rest of that season and the next season.

"It would be difficult to do this retrospectively so we will wipe the slate clean at the end of this season and start it from the next one."

Worcestershire FA referees co-ordinator Bill Allsop said: "The behaviour has really deteriorated.

"It really just mirrors the attitudes you find in the wider society now which is the sad part about it."

"The main problem is the lack of new referees we have got coming through and the major reason for that is the abuse they have to face, particularly in the lower leagues. Few make it past the first 12 months."

Mr Allsop said he also blamed the actions of top flight players abusing referees on TV, which he believes influences players on the local park.

He added: "We have tried everything to try and recruit more new referees but nothing has worked. We have got to make people start respecting referees."