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Boycott

Irish Referees Society condemn 'cowardly assault' on referee in his sixties

The Dublin Branch of the Society have announced a boycott of the team in question.

THE DUBLIN BRANCH of the Irish Soccer Referees Society has condemned an assault on a referee in his sixties, and announced they have withdrawn their services to the club in question. 

A statement signed by Chairman of the Dublin Branch of the Irish Referees Society Dave Fitzsimons and shared online by the Leinster Senior League detailed the incident. They say the official, who is in his sixties, was chased onto the field and assaulted. The official was refereeing the game alone, and the Referees Society say the incident could have been worse had it not been for the intervention of members of the opposing team. 

They say the referee also had his bike damaged by a separate member of the offending team. 

They say the referee is “still shaken but recovering well.”

The statement in full:

“The Dublin Branch committee have decided that enough is enough. Again, over the past weekend, one of our members was assaulted while officiating at a fixture on Saturday 26th February 2022. 

“We will not name the team or the league they are affiliated too in order not to jeopardise the disciplinary proceedings that will have to take place. 

“The referee is a long-standing and respected referee in his 60s, he was chased onto the field of play and assaulted by the culprit. The referee was acting as a stand-alone referee for this fixture and but for the assistance of the home team things could have been much worse. 

“The referee who also cycled to the fixture also had his bicycle purposely damaged and was therefore unable to cycle home due to the injuries obtained in this cowardly assault and the damage done to his bicycle by another member of the offending team. 

“As per the ISRS directive he reported this assault and the damage to his bike to the nearest Garda station. 

“We have contacted the league concerned and contacted referees affiliated to this league to let them know we as a branch will not supply referees to this team for all their remaining matches whether its in their league or the cup competitions they remain in. 

“The member in question is still shaken by this event but is recovering well. 

“If you are made aware of this incident by any other source, please do not divulge any names of teams or the official to anyone in the media circles as due process must be adhered to.” 

Hundreds of underage football matches were cancelled in November last year, when the Referees’ Society boycotted a weekend round of games in the North Dublin Schoolboys/girls League and the Metropolitan Girls League over the persistent violence toward and intimidation of match officials. 

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