Joe Duffy told listeners today of the time he saw the father of a player headbutt the referee at a school’s rugby match.
The radio presenter was discussing the difficulties referees face while calling the shots at children’s sports matches on today’s Liveline show.
Speaking on the topic, Joe said: "I was at a rugby match once where a family member, the father indeed, of a player on the opposing team disagreed with a decision that the referee made.
"It was one of the most shocking scenes I ever witnessed. The father ran on to the pitch and headbutted the referee and broke his nose, much to the shame of his son.
"Then the father disappeared into the crowd and then the police were subsequently called."
Israel Ibeanu, an underage soccer referee, joined Joe on the show to speak about the abuse he receives on a regular basis during matches.
He said: "The common ones are the Specsaver ones and all that type of stuff, which I don't tolerate. Abuse is abuse. Little or large, it's abuse, so I don't take any abuse at my football games."
While the referee said he likes to see parents supporting their children at matches, he has to draw the line at abuse from the sideline.
Israel explained the tactics he uses to ensure that order is maintained at matches and good sportsmanship remains intact.
He said: “I would never, ever interact with parents because their kids are their angels and they never do anything wrong, so I go straight to the manager," he said.
"I have a conversation with the manager and I say to him, 'it's either he's gone or I'm gone', and I give them about two minutes.
"I tell the manager on the other side as well because there's no point in making it difficult. It's for the kids, it's not for you.
"So when I'm then standing in the middle you see the change. Even the players are then telling the dad or the mum or the uncles to leave because they want to play."
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