FIFA refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina backs Mail Sport’s Stop Abusing Referees campaign as a ‘very good initiative’… after labelling the treatment of officials ‘a cancer that kills football’

FIFA chief Pierluigi Collina has backed the Ny Breaking’s campaign to stop fans and players abusing match officials, which he described as ‘a cancer that kills football’.

The 63-year-old, who was voted the world’s best referee six years in a row and officiated at the 2002 World Cup final before joining FIFA’s refereeing committee, praised our Stop the Abuse campaign for tackling a problem among brought attention that he believes will engage young people, especially outside of sports.

“The abuse of referees is a cancer, it is one of the worst things you can see in football,” Collina told Mail Sport. “I think any activity and campaign aimed at protecting referees, especially at grassroots level, is welcome.

“FIFA is very grateful to the Ny Breaking and pleased with the attention being paid to this issue, which is a global problem. We all need to take action to do something because without action we will face major problems in the future.”

Collina is particularly concerned about the abuse of referees at the grassroots level, which he believes is leading to a shortage of officials around the world. The Italian expressed concern about stories of verbal and physical abuse of young people on the pitch, which he fears will lead to parents limiting their involvement in football.

Abuse against referees is increasing and becoming a growing problem

Mail Sport has launched a campaign to stop the abuse of referees to boost the game

“It is a shame that young referees in particular are verbally and even physically abused during their matches,” he said. ‘It is difficult to understand why a young person in these circumstances would decide to become a referee, or why their parents would allow their son or daughter to become a referee today.

‘At the basic level, referees are only there to help people play football, to give them the opportunity to play together, to spend time together and to learn some of the values ​​of football that can be important for their future as people, not as professionals football players.

‘I repeat: this is a very good initiative. At FIFA we are very pleased that the Ny Breaking is highlighting this topic. We all have to do something to find solutions. What is happening today is not acceptable.”

Rhys Baldwin (left) and George Sleigh are two young referees who quit due to abuse

Bookings for managers have quadrupled this season, with Erik ten Hag serving a touchline ban in Man United’s final match against Everton

Collina’s concerns echo those of the Ny Breaking, which launched a campaign highlighting the abuse of grassroots referees after two young officials shared their harrowing experiences on the It’s All Kicking Off podcast.

Rhys Baldwin made the decision to retire as a referee in April after eleven years. The 25-year-old explained how he had knives pulled on him and his car keyed in response to referee decisions he made during matches. Another referee, George Sleigh, quit after suffering a broken jaw from a player he had sent off in a five-a-side match.

The FA also backed the campaign last week and most of the 20 Premier League managers admitted their behavior towards referees needs to improve, a view backed by the statistics. The number of bookings due to dissent has almost quadrupled this season compared to the previous campaign, while the number of bookings shown to players has more than doubled.

“Referees are the lifeblood of our game,” a spokesman said. “We support the Ny Breaking campaign to encourage and promote respect for them,” an FA spokesperson said.