David Carabott enjoys being out on a football pitch and refeering but he finds that it has its moments of disenchantment as well

I am feeling a little down lately; not just because of the incessant rain and cold weather but for a number of other reasons as well. I have eaten too much and exercised too little in the past three years. First, studying for exams in January and June then last year I was busy touring Europe. The only time to train right now is when I referee football games at the weekend. Yes, true, my weekends are packed with games and no free time to walk in the countryside or at the seaside after a week in our polluted and generally crowded towns. Among the many things that I miss most is the Sunday lunch at my grandma’s in Marsaxlokk.

A referee’s life

I never minded having to travel for over an hour by bus to make a little extra cash refereeing football played by youngsters. I am just happy to have the chance to run around on the pitch, stretch my legs, and see some footie action.

Yes my refereeing career means making sacrifices and renouncing my pastimes and usual routine for the cause: the game we all love!. In return what do I receive? A little well deserved remuneration, and every now and then a big disappointment.

At the beginning it was like starting from scratch where I had to prove myself all over again. It was like returning to school in a new class or starting a new job where one is completely lost and feeling alone. At times it’s been really quite difficult. From Day One I discovered that people on these islands take football, of a poor level let it be said, too seriously and have absolutely no respect for referees. However people like this exist everywhere and there are plenty of good souls around as well, I hasten to add.

The game is on

What else did I gain up till now in my year and a half of refeering? Well in the last game I, together with the assistant referees experienced something new. On our way back to the changing rooms we were showered by ‘rain’; not the normal rain, but a rain of spit from the stands above the entrance to the changing rooms. This took us by surprise. It is not an incident I wish to remember.

Once, after a particular game some fierce and disappointed supporters came after us and we were forced to lock ourselves in the dressing room for more than hour until the commotion was over. We did not call the police immediately and when we did it was too late for them to take action. I wish that the Malta Football Association and the Malta Federation of Referees Associations would consider the presence of a policeman even for Youth FA leagues. It is unacceptable for game officials to be treated so savagely in this junior league. It reflects badly on the clubs, the players and their supporters, who in this case are usually the players’ parents and relatives.

I am currently involved mainly with Youth FA football matches. These are considered by most football critics as the ‘hottest’ games on the island. I think this is very true.

Last week I went to watch Malta against Albania for the World Cup qualifiers. I was delighted with the result but the atmosphere was disappointing. The supporters gave the impression that they were very cold and disinterested unlike those attending the Youth FA games. The inferno atmosphere at Youth FA matches is most of the time the result of the pressure coming from the children’s parents and relatives. During games they become frustrated and their minds are deeply submerged in useless strategies to try to make their children believe that football is a war rather than a sport. They keep on shouting and screaming at the kids on the pitch throughout the game. To make matters worse supporters blame the referee for all that goes wrong. They call us referees a variety of unprintable names and adjectives.

One of the most disturbing incidents I encountered however did not concern the referees directly. This happened when I heard a coach saying to a boy ‘pass on that ball immediately or I’ll cut off your leg’! He sounded really serious and when I approached him after the game and commented, he laughed at me brushing off the incident as something normal.

If this is the way our kids are treated then I am worried for them and us as well. It is wrong to emphasize that opponents in a game are ‘enemies’, to ignore insults and do nothing about correcting them, accepting, as if it is normal to do so, verbal and sometimes physical abuse against game officials. Moreover by verbally abusing the young players themselves aren’t we instilling in these youngsters the wrong mentality now and when they are adults? I enjoy refeering but it has its disappointments too.

Here’s the good part

Most often when I step onto the pitch I see familiar faces that have seen me in action several times before. Even though they are not necessarily friends of mine I am sure they are usually happy to see me, comforted by the knowledge that I am pretty good at what I do and that I am easy to communicate with.

This makes me put aside the negativity that often comes with being the only person who’s not part of a team during a game. Last week as I went over to the home team’s coach to fill out the game report, he told me that I was by far one of the best referees he had seen all season. This for sure was not the most difficult game I had ever refeered. Therefore he might have been trying to pull my leg but still, it made me feel good.

When it’s a fine day and I walk out most of the parents thank me, other walk by or lean out of their car windows to thank me. And let me tell you, after some of the unpleasant experiences I have had it meant a lot even though they probably thought nothing of it. But then again, maybe they make an effort to encourage fair play and respect irrelevant if their team win, lose, or draw.

GAME, not battle…

I do not expect that I will be constantly showered with applause before, during, and after every match but at least I deserve some respect for my dignity. After all, this is Maltese amateur football we are talking about. People here in Malta argue just as bitterly over many things both great and small. This is embedded in our culture, it is who we are.

I am an optimistic person and that’s what keeps me going. When I am on the pitch I carry with me at all times the positive things and facts of my job. It’s a good reminder for everyone – parents, coaches, and players no matter the age. This is not a life or death struggle I am talking about here. It is just a game and there are much vital games to be won and goals to be reached in life. If we can all learn to be a little more courteous to one another during the heat of a match then perhaps the lessons we learn on the pitch might help us in our daily lives as well.

This is meant especially for those parents and coaches of the teams … Thank You. You have given me hope. I identify you with the very best in the game that we all love.

Until next game!

Photos: David Carabott