The St Vincent and the Grenadines Referee Association has made a decision to withdraw all service of their officials.
The President of the Referee Association Elron Lewis said that they would not be offering any services until they have a meeting with the executive of SVG Football Federation on Monday in respect to the safety of referees.
“Today a referee was attacked and beaten by players and last Saturday the same thing would have happened in BArrouallie where players from a team would have attacked …..as assistant referee after the final whistle,” Lewis explained.
He noted that they would not be able to continue as normal because the safety of a referee is paramount.
“…We need to send a clear message to footballers in St Vincent that refereeing is a profession and it takes sacrifice to go on the field and officiate.”
The Association President explained that they may err because they are not perfect but it does not warrant any abuse.
“So until we sort the issue where the safety of the referees is concerned we would be withdrawing our services,”Lewis said.
He said that after Monday’s meeting they would host a press conference to discuss the outcome.
