STOP THE ABUSE: From Premier League to Sunday football, referees have had enough of threats, intimidation and spittle-flecked insults. Mail Sport launches a major campaign

• A staggering 10,000 football referees have left the game in the last five years
• Mail Sport has today launched a campaign to stamp out abuse at all levels  
• Have you witnessed abuse of referees? Contact [email protected] 

One referee with a broken jaw. Another threatened with a Stanley knife and forced to quit the game he loves. These are real-life stories — revealed on Mail Sport’s podcast It’s All Kicking Off — that show a refereeing community in fear and in crisis.

The Northumberland Football League say behaviour towards grassroots officials is ‘the worst we’ve seen in our history’, and are threatening to ban parents and cancel fixtures. 

The rise in abuse towards referees at all levels follows a surge in shameful antics by top-flight managers and players — from Mikel Arteta to Mauricio Pochettino, Jurgen Klopp to Marco Silva.

Today, the Daily Mail launches a ‘Stop Abusing Referees’ campaign, supporting officials and spotlighting bad behaviour at all levels. A staggering 10,000 referees have left the game in the last five years.

Across Mail Sport — on MailOnline, in the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday, and on our It’s All Kicking Off podcast, we will call out the miscreants. The abuse has to stop now.

Mail Sport has launched a campaign to stop the abuse of referees at all levels of the game

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is one of 15 Premier League managers to be booked this season

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