The Alava Federation, the referees and the clubs, “concerned” by the attacks on members

JON AROCA

Wednesday, December 14, 2022, 00:22

Attacks on referees are one of the great scourges of football today and Álava is no exception to this situation. The one produced at the end of November, when a spectator of the Mercedarias-Lakua Arriaga of the Juvenil de Honor Territorial held in Zaramaga hit the referee of the match on the chest, has generated concern in the soccer establishments of the province. A situation that all the parties emphasize is not at all frequent within the vast number of matches that are held normally during each day in various categories, but that nevertheless has been increasing in recent times, once football normality has been recovered post-pandemic. Therefore, they ask to collaborate to correct this dynamic and avoid greater evils.

Thus, the Alavesa Football Federation has summoned all the federated clubs in the province to a meeting for next Wednesday the 21st. The objective, as sources from the agency told EL CORREO, is to “work together” to eradicate this violence. A few weeks ago they sent a letter to the entities to alert “of the dangerous trend that is beginning to exist” and “when observing trends that we were not liking.”

The body chaired by Kepa Arrieta acknowledges “concerned about a trend of behaviors that are out of respect in football”, but also calls for calm. “It is totally exceptional,” he emphasizes and believes that this is supported by the data from the Competition Committee of the organization. “We do not have excessive open files on this issue. We have more than other sports, but it is that in the Federation we have 320 games every week », he illustrates. Cases of “physical violence and verbal violence” with special incidence in the stands.

That perception is shared by those who are greatly affected by these situations, the referees. «We observe that from time to time something happens. At the territorial level, violence and what happens in the stands is rising, “says Aitor Ríos, president of the Technical Committee of Referees. He believes, above all, that it is necessary to influence the case of the spectators more than the players. “At the player level it is more subject because they are subject to some rules,” he perceives, which does not happen among the fans. «The things that are seen in the stands … something is happening. Some may think that they have freedom », he laments. He was a spectator who attacked the referee in Zaramaga on November 26 and last weekend an assistant referee was beaten by another fan in the duel between Trintxerpe and Behobia, from the Gipuzkoan Youth Preference.

The players, “very good”

Ríos also sees a worrying situation. “Where most things happen is in grassroots football, from youth to below,” he says. That is to say, in the case of underage players, who often go to the fields accompanied by their relatives. “What foundation are we laying?” he wonders. That is why he appeals to two legs, “training and awareness.” The clubs also advocate going “all as one” to “educate” all parties and prevent future incidents. This is highlighted by the sports coordinator of Mercedarias, Felipe Beltrán de Heredia. His team was one of two who witnessed a situation that he describes as “unpleasant.”

The first time I saw a scenario of that magnitude. But the good behavior of the players of both teams that day stands out. “They behaved very well,” he celebrates. In his case, he believes that these types of situations are a reflection of society. “There are people who go to the fields to vent and blame the referee,” he laments. He also recognizes a certain helplessness between the clubs when it comes to managing this type of situation. “Controlling it is difficult. In a municipal field, where anyone can enter… », he shells. But, like the rest, he appeals to the common front. «It is not a new issue, but the minimum is already worrying. We have to try to make it zero ”, they sentence from the Federation.