May 25 – An attack on a referee in an amateur game between two Turkish teams based in north London has attracted outrage after video footage of the incident was released in the media.
The attack was filmed at the New River facility in Wood Green at the end of a cup final organised by the Turkish Community Football Federation: https://youtu.be/-cuygQs0y-A
The referee suffered only minor injuries and no arrests were made as the suspects had left the scene by the time they arrived.
It is unclear from the video whether players or spectators were involved and many of those involved in what has been described as a “mob attack” may have been trying to break up the violence.
The Federation concerned says it is “shocked and disgusted” and “strongly condemns” the incident whilst Martin Cassidy, the chief executive of Ref Support, a charity set up to raise the quality, status and benefits of refereeing, called the incident “the worst assault on a match official we have seen on British soil.”
Cassidy said: “The subject needs to be taken seriously and the FA referees department needs to allow a pilot of body cams at grassroots level, to not only act as a deterrent to assaults and abuse but also as an evidence-collecting device.”
The Football Association responded to the incident saying: “Both the London FA and the FA condemn any assault on a match official and have offered support to the referee.”
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