District soccer officials say they are almost powerless to stop banned spectators attending games

A soccer association in Sydney’s southwest has taken swift action after the alleged assault of a referee shocked the sporting world. But keeping banned spectators away will prove tough.

District soccer officials claim they are almost powerless to stop banned spectators attending games and the introduction of body cams for referees and increased powers for match abandonment are the only ways to curb violence at games.

Bankstown District Amateur Football Association this week introduced new powers to protect referees after Khoder Yaghi was viciously assaulted during a men’s Premier League game in Sydney’s southwest last week.

Video of the incident went viral and the BDAFA responded to the violent attack by implementing new safety measures, which the association said would come into effect from Friday, May 5 at 5pm.

The measures, which includes the ability to abandon matches if referees are approached during a game, are aimed at putting the onus on clubs to police their own spectators and take responsibility for fixing the culture of supporters at games or risk being handed a forfeit.

A BDAFA spokesperson said the “severe” changes were a necessity because, ultimately, the organisation cannot fine individuals or restrict access to public grounds.

The incident involving referee Khoder Yaghi has led to a crackdown.

“It was a strong decision to make to stem the abuse to our referees. The general consensus from the referees is that they are pleased to see tougher measures are being taken to ensure their safety,” the spokesperson said.

“Any changes such as these can be seen as severe, there are associations that have even tougher penalties such as immediate expulsion of teams involved with major incidents.

“Our intention is to place the onus on the teams to curb anti-social behaviour and loss of points will drive the message home.

“It has to be understood that we are an Amateur Association, we cannot impose major fines on individuals only suspensions.

“One of the hardest challenges we face is we play our games on public parks run by volunteers, it is extremely difficult to (keep) police suspended individuals from being there and to evict them from grounds.

“This is where we need community awareness and assistance from the media, community leaders and local councils to provide security measures to not only protect referees and players but also our volunteers who give so much time and effort in running their clubs whilst also acting as ground marshalls on the day.”

A soccer referee has broken his jaw in an alleged assault.

BODY CAMS ISSUED AS ALLEGED REF ASSAULT PROMPTS CRACKDOWN

The savage beating of a local Sydney football referee has led his association to adopt drastic new safety measures, including outfitting officials with body cams and abandoning matches over dissent.

Bankstown District Amateur Football Association referee Khoder Yaghi went into surgery on Monday to repair a fractured jaw and three missing teeth after he was allegedly punched and kicked in the face multiple times during a Men’s Premier League game in Sydney’s southwest.

Video of the incident from last Friday night showed Yaghi, 45, being confronted by a spectator at the end of the match at Padstow Park where he was pushed to the ground and punched multiple times.

The BDAFA responded to the violent attack by implementing new safety measures, which the association said would come into effect from Friday, May 5 at 5pm.

The association will trial body cameras on its Men’s Premier League referees and has issued a new hard line stance on abuse from players and coaches.

Under the new rules, registered team officials (RTO) and spectators will be barred from approaching any referee regarding a decision made during a match.

The aftermath of the incident. Picture: Supplied

If that rule is breached, the offender will be issued a red card and the match will be abandoned.

The non-offending team will be awarded a 3-0 forfeit victory or the current score should the margin be beyond three goals once the match is abandoned.

Players – including captains – will no longer be permitted to question a referee’s decision.

Under the league’s current rules, dissent from an RTO directed at an official results in a yellow card.

From Friday 5pm, two yellow cards issued for dissent – deemed a first and second cautionable offence – will result in a red card and match abandoned.

Use of offensive and/or insulting and/or abusing language, including gestures, can result in an immediate red card and match abandoned, at the discretion of the referee.

Further, in a display of “unity and respect for match officials”, the association has issued a directive for all teams playing under the BDAFA banner to form a guard of honour for its referees at the beginning and end of the matches.

“We want to actively demonstrate to the BDR (Bankstown District Referees) that our participants care and support them and anti-social behaviour is not welcome in our game or Bankstown,” the BDAFA said in its statement.

Originally published as District soccer officials say they are almost powerless to stop banned spectators attending games