Violence on the soccer field: referee is attacked and injured!
Violence on the soccer field: referee is attacked and injured!
Last Sunday there was a serious incident in Eltville (Rheingau-Taunus) during a youth football game between JSG Eltville/Rauenthal and SV Zeilsheim. The referee, a 42-year-old, had expelled a player from the visiting team with a time penalty of the field shortly before the end of the game. This led to an attack by three male spectators of the visiting team who entered the field and brutally bumped and beat the referee, including with an assistant flag. The incident ended with minor injuries to the referee, and the perpetrators also caused property damage to the door of the cabin tract of 1,000 euros. The perpetrators fled the scene, while the identity of two suspects could already be determined. The game ended with a clear 2-0 for Eltville.Further violent incidents in Hesse on the same weekend strengthen the worrying situation in amateur football. A bus with football fans from Energie Cottbus was attacked in the “Nadelöhr” parking lot near Ronshausen, which led to some serious injuries to nine fans. There were also physical arguments between a soccer player and three spectators in a parking lot in Kronberg, which were also slightly injured. In addition, the police reported four injuries in a district Oberliga game in Maintal, while discussions about referee decisions resulted in their math.
violence against referee in Hesse
The Hessian Ministry of the Interior has published alarming figures on violent incidents against referees in amateur football. In the 2022/2023 season, both verbal and physical attacks were registered in 289 games. This corresponds to a share of 0.25 percent of the total of 113,902 games from the 5th division. In comparison, there were 270 incidents in the 2021/2022 season and 364 incidents in the 2018/2019 season. From 2018 to 2022, the police registered a total of 395 crimes in football games, with the majority affected assault offenses. These terrifying trends led to an increased discussion in the Hessian state parliament about the need for measures against violence in amateur football.
In the interior committee, the FDP parliamentary group in particular addressed the violence against referees and the shattering incidents that have recently occurred in the past, such as the threat of a father against a 15-year-old referee and the death of a 15-year-old player for violent arguments. State Secretary Sauer confirmed the incompatibility of such incidents with the values of sport. In order to proceed against this development, the state government promotes projects for violence prevention and fairness in sports in cooperation with various clubs and the Hessian Football Association.
A look back at the situation in amateur football
Despite the increasing number of incidents in the amateur area, the German Football Association (DFB) has a mixed picture in recent years. Since the 2014/2015 season, DFB has been investigating the situation in terms of violence and discrimination in amateur football annually. In the current season 2023/2024, more football was played than in previous years, and the DFB reports on a decline in violent incidents. Nevertheless, the topic remains acute. The “Year of the Schiris” campaign has placed an increased focus on respectful interaction in football. Despite the increase in games, the absolute number of game dropouts remained under the given values compared to the previous year.
Finally, it can be seen that violence against referees and general aggressiveness are a serious threat to the integrity of amateur football. The increased efforts of the state government and the DFB are essential in order to combat this problem sustainably and to protect the values of sport. Despite positive developments, there is still a lot to do to ensure a peaceful and respectful environment in amateur football.
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