Teen footballer banned for life
I wonder if this is where banter goes too far when, in the heat of the moment, an impulsive youth's subconcious remembers people saying things like "Probably deserved it", "Bash that prick" and all manner of other abusive suggestions against officials?
There is some suggestion in the comments that the reporting has blown things out of proportion to the incident and that the repeated punching was actually a slap (makes it worse for mine...) but the WAFC have ruled so it must have been serious enough.
Teen footballer banned for life
JOHN TOWNSEND, The West Australian
June 4, 2010, 2:45 am
A 16-year-old Edgewater Eagles footballer has been banned for life and could face criminal charges after repeatedly punching an umpire who sent him off on Sunday.
The teenager attacked the umpire after receiving a red card and being ordered off the field for striking an opponent in the 17s game against the Whitford Wildcats at Emerald Park in Edgewater.
The youth will not be allowed to play football at any level again after the swift action from the tribunal set up under the West Perth junior district model.
Police have confirmed they are investigating allegations of assault.
The player also faces possible civil action.
There is likely to be more disciplinary action over a brawl that erupted when the umpires cancelled the match and ordered a forfeit against Edgewater.
Umpiring WA general manager Steve Hargrave was disappointed by the attack but said it was a rare event, given that player behaviour had improved significantly in recent seasons.
"The WA Football Commission condemns this type of offence against umpires and has zero tolerance for it," Mr Hargrave said.
"It is not part of the game.
"But there are about 40,000 games of footy played across WA every year and these sorts of things are now pretty rare.
"When they do come up, they hit home hard and can have a very negative effect on the sport.
"There was a thorough investigation about his incident and the district did all the right things in acting so swiftly."
Mr Hargrave said he understood that the umpire, who was 19 and officiating with a senior colleague aged in his 50s, might be able to umpire again this weekend.
Edgewater president Gavin Piggott said he had been instructed not to talk about the incident but acknowledged it was a rare event.
"I am not allowed to comment on it," he said. "But this sort of thing is not normal for us or any club."
The attack on the umpire comes just three weeks after the AFL launched a new program aimed at generating more community support for the officials.
The league hoped the Umpiring is Everyone's Business initiative would reverse a national trend of umpires giving the game away because of the abuse from fans.
The AFL said that up to a quarter of the umpires who officiated in leagues across Australia quit every year because of abuse.
