The film director shedding a light on grassroots referee abuse

The image of players swarming around the referee when a decision does not go their way has become as common in football as corner kicks, slide tackles, and throw-ins. The same can be said for world-famous managers screaming at the fourth official, having something to say about the officiating in post-match interviews, or believing there is a conspiracy against their club.

There is seemingly a never-ending discussion surrounding officiating in the media. Just this week, Howard Webb, the Professional Game Match Officials Board’s chief refereeing officer, appeared on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football to discuss the issues related to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), with the game time audio between the officials being released to show fans what goes on when a decision is made.

Moreover, it was announced on Thursday, May 18 that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has received a two-game ban for the comments he made about referee Paul Tierney following his side’s 4-3 victory at home against Tottenham Hotspur. He implied that the referee had “something against” Liverpool, and celebrated their stoppage-time winner by running up and screaming in the face of the fourth official, pulling his hamstring in the process. 

As a result, it is no wonder that referee abuse is so common throughout grassroots football, given how rampant it is in the professional game. The frequency in which it happens means those playing on the park on a Sunday have come to think that abusing the referee is just part of the game.

This is what director Greg Cruttwell sought to address with his newest film, In The Middle. The documentary follows a diverse group of grassroots referees and match officials, including ‘Rocket’ Ron Clark, an elderly gentleman with 60 years experience, and Lucy Clark, the world’s first transgender referee, as they try and navigate the problems of being a lower-level official.

Cruttwell himself is heavily involved in non-league football, having founded Balham FC, developing the team from an under-11 side to a fully functioning club which has played in the first qualifying round of the FA Cup. He was inspired to produce the film having experienced first-hand the role these referees play, and the abuse they received.

“I’d seen a lot of them refereeing, but I wanted to find out more about their lives and go behind the scenes in depth, following an eclectic group of referees, and really find out what they do and why they do it? And what they get out of it, you know,” he told the Sports Gazette from his flat in south London.

Cruttwell is beaming with respect for those who dedicate their weekend to officiating at the grassroots level of the game, and believes they deserve just as much as recognition for what they go through. The documentary was created to shine a light on their experiences, demonstrating the issue of referee abuse runs deep through the veins of the beautiful game.

“I’ve always seen various things and reports on referees at the top level of the game, and the odd little thing on a grassroots referee now and then when there’s a story about it.

“But with this, I wanted to just focus on referees that are the bottom end of the football food chain who are basically when they go out they are sheriffs in a lawless country, you know, on park pitches, they got no protection.

“They do get abused, some of them get physically abused, mentally abused, whatever. And you just think, why would anyone do this, and I found that interesting.”

Therefore, he took it upon himself to be the one to tell their story, and give the officials featured in the film the airtime they deserve, for the right reasons. 

It can often feel like the only time referees are featured heavily in the press is when they make a mistake, or use VAR incorrectly. For grassroots referees, this negativity extends to the extreme, with the only exposure they seem to receive is when a player takes this normalised abuse too far, and inflicts serious harm on an official.

There may be the often discussion around how the lack of chatter around a referee’s decision can only be seen as a good thing, but Cruttwell believed those on the lowest rung of the footballing ladder deserved some positive reporting for a change.

“The great thing you realise in doing it, and why I’m full of admiration for them is because basically at the end of the day, if you don’t have referees, you don’t have a game of organised competitive football. You just have chaos.”

Cruttwell admits he is a self-proclaimed football fanatic, but spending any time in his flat, especially his office, would confirm this to anyone. The walls were covered top to bottom in football memorabilia, including newspaper cuttings from when his beloved Fulham were promoted to the Premier League, a framed Brazil shirt signed by Pele, and a collage of Balham programmes.

Also on display in his office is something of a shrine to Liverpool forward Fabio Carvalho. The Portuguese international was first discovered by Cruttwell when he came for a kickabout at an open training session put on towards the start of his time with Balham. His skill was evident, and he joined the side, where he developed his game into his teenage years before moving to Fulham.

This move was made even sweeter for Cruttwell given the Lilywhites are the side he has followed for 53 years. This support has seen him travel up and down the country, including to Old Trafford for an FA Cup quarter-final in March of this year. Fulham had dominated the first 70 minutes, and found themselves 1-0 up. A potential shock was on the cards, before a moment of madness from Alexsandar Mitrovic triggered a series of events that would not only turn the game on its head, but also be discussed to no-end for the following weeks. 

In protest to referee’s Chris Kavangh’s decision to send Willian off for a deliberate handball, Mitrovic pushed kavanagh in the back, in the highest profile of referee abuse to date. The Serbian striker received an eight-match ban, with the Fulham manager Marco Silva also being banned for two games after using abusive language towards the referee.

Cruttwell believes incidents like this one (broadcast live on free-to-air television) have a major impact on the treatment of grassroots referees, something which features so prominently in In The Middle.

“If you look at the way Silva, Klopp, Mikel Arteta, even Pep Guardiola at times, make the referee’s life way worse than it should be.

“Everything is repeated behaviour. The way that referees get treated by players, by managers, by coaches, is replicated in age-group football.

“Kids think it is alright to surround the referee, to touch them, get in their faces. Managers think it is alright to abuse them, even parents on the sidelines are abusing and threatening. That is because they see it at the top level.”

As seen in the film, this obviously has a major impact on the referees. However, Cruttwell believes the officials try their hardest to not let these actions affect their love of the game. According to him, these are people who genuinely feel like they want to give something back to football.

Despite this, such is the reality of the abuse they experience week in, week out that even the resolve of the strongest begins to be tested, which is a damning reminder of the abuse faced.

Cruttwell said: “A lot of them think ‘sod it.’ I got spat at last Sunday. I’ve got two people waiting by my car to abuse me when I was going home. I’ve got people the week before being racist to me.

“Eventually, they go “’I’m not doing it anymore.’”

After watching Cruttwell’s film, this statement hits home even further. The director did an excellent job of bringing together a diverse ensemble of referees who bring a borderline upsetting humanisation to the abuse. 

“It was really important for me to try and get an eclectic bunch that represents all the referees that are out there,” Cruttwell stated.

“To be honest, there are so many more stories to tell, you could do an In the Middle 2, 3, 4, and 5. Because there’s all kinds of people out there doing it, and they are from all walks of life, and all classes in society.”

Abuse towards referees is an epidemic plaguing football. They may not be aware, but the managers at the top of the footballing pyramid are setting a dangerous precedent through their actions, which end up hurting people who simply love the game enough to dedicate their weekend to officiating. 

Greg Cruttwell has used his position, both through his work both with Balham and within the documentary industry, to start the much-needed conversation. But this should not be the end of it. In fact, it should only be the start. 

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