LATEST: Wayne Barnes issues a warning following the club president’s punch to the referee.
Wayne Barnes, a former Test referee, has expressed concerns once more on the physical and psychological abuse that officials across all sports endure.
Following a Turkish football match on Monday, referee Halil Umut Meler was hospitalized. The Englishman then resorted to social media.
Faruk Koca, the president of MKE Ankaragucu, struck Meler in the head after their 1-1 tie with Caykur Rizespor.
Since then, Koca and two other people have been taken into custody for “injuring a public official,” and Turkish league football has been stopped.
Issues with all sports
Although incidents of that nature have not typically occurred in rugby union, at least not in a professional setting, there have been instances of officials being attacked.
A Perth, Australia player was only given a five-year penalty earlier in 2023 for shoving his shoulder into the back of an unwary match official.
When final officials Barnes and Tom Foley got death threats after the Rugby World Cup, it was clear that abuse was on the increasing.
Since then, the former has chosen to hang up his whistle, and Foley has decided to stop playing rugby internationally.
Furthermore, the former referee has issued a warning regarding the growing seriousness of similar incidents following the tragic attack in Turkey.
Barnes posted on X, formerly Twitter, saying, “This is why governing bodies, prosecuting agencies, and social media companies need to do more to eradicate abuse in all sports at all levels.”
“Your words originate from your ideas. Your deeds follow your words. Your habits are formed by your behaviors.
Current events
Following the World Cup, Barnes’ wife Polly made public that her husband had been the target of death threats.
What a disgusting atmosphere at the Stade de France, she posted on social media. Hey, it’s just a game. World Cup of Rugby, see you later. I won’t miss the death threats or you.
Since then, Wayne has urged authorities to take stronger action against mistreatment of match officials, saying to BBC Sport that “those who threaten your wife and children should be held accountable and dealt with accordingly.”
Why should you be allowed to participate in the rugby family if you’re a supporter of your neighborhood rugby team and you’re threatening and sending hateful messages to people’s families?
“When that abuse affects my family is the part I’ve always struggled with and will continue to fight with.
“I want legislation addressing what social media sites can do to prevent it, I want prosecuting agencies to think about ways to do that, and I also want governing bodies to think about what they can do.”
Not only are officials under fire, but after their quarterfinal match, France supporters started hurling abuse at Springboks and Montpellier scrum-half Cobus Reinach.
