Bootle FC under-16s suspended by Anfield Junior League over referee abuse

Apr 15 2010 by Ben Rossington, Bootle Times

A MERSEYSIDE junior football team is under investigation after a referee was followed and threatened when he abandoned a game amid a tirade of touchline abuse.

Bootle FC under-16s were suspended by the Anfield Junior League and face possible further sanctions after a man – thought to be a parent of one of the players – threatened the referee after a game this week.

And within hours, vile comments had been posted on the league’s page on social networking site Facebook.

The 29 year-old ref, who asked not to be named, took charge of the Bootle FC v Byrom Street under-16s game at Stanley Park on Monday.

With six minutes left, and the score 1-0 to Byrom Street, he abandoned the match after a constant volley of abuse from the Bootle touchline.

He said: “With six minutes left I booked a Byrom Street lad for persistent fouling and this bloke on the Bootle sideline who’d been gobbing off at me all match gave me a load more abuse, telling me I was a joke and a disgrace for not sending him off.

“I told him to calm down and mind his language. Then it got really abusive. I ended up abandoning the game.

“Then the threats started so I just walked off.

“The Byrom lads were smashing, stayed around and asked me if I wanted a lift home but I said I’d make my own way.