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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Hollie Bone

Youth football referees say "a matter of time" before someone is killed amid abuse

Children from more than 150 youth football teams have seen matches axed amid fears referee abuse could turn deadly.

One official told the Mirror it’s “a matter of time before someone is murdered” on the pitch.

The Merseyside Youth Football League took the decision to stop more than 70 fixtures after reports of threatening behaviour, including a 15-year-old ref who was left in tears by a player’s grandad last week.

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