Cork's Nathan Wall says abuse of referees is only getting worse

Wall says he is willing to step away from refereeing next year and use that time to go around to every club in the county in an effort to end the culture of systemic abuse

CONCERNED: Nathan Wall during a National Hurling League game earlier this year. Wall says he is willing to step away from refereeing next year and use that time to go around to every club in the county in an effort to end the culture of systemic abuse. Pic: INPHO/Bryan Keane

Cork GAA referee Nathan Wall has said he is willing to step away from refereeing next year and use that time to go around to every club in the county in an effort to end the culture of systemic abuse towards match officials.

Appalled, but not overly surprised, by what happened at an U17 football game in Roscommon last week where local referee Kevin Naughton ended up in hospital after an exchange with an individual, Wall has called for a strategic approach, running from Croke Park all the way down to grassroots, to tackle referee abuse.

The ‘silent sideline’ and ‘give respect, get respect’ campaigns are two initiatives rolled out by Croke Park to dial down the diatribe hurled at those in black, but what last week’s incident highlighted, Wall insisted, is that the GAA’s sticky plaster approach is not going near far enough.

“Abuse of GAA referees is a cut that has been bandaged over for the last 30 or 40 years, and it is only getting worse,” said Wall, who refereed to Division 1 level in this year’s Allianz Hurling League.

“Is abuse of referees going to change overnight, it is not, but we need to put in place a strategic approach so that in two or three-years’ time we are not talking about the same thing. Rugby had these issues previously, but they came together and put in a system that got them to where they are now.

“At club and grassroots level, there needs to be more training, more awareness. We need to get away from young Johnny’s mam or dad standing on the bank shouting in abuse. We need an educational program on dignity and mutual respect, and maybe we start that with the underage players.” 

Wall, for his part, is willing to meet words with action.

“I’d be more than happy to step away from refereeing for 12 months next year and go around to every club in Cork to do an awareness program with them whereby you bring in the chairperson, secretary, and team managers, and we have an open discussion and try and get away from a situation where it is them versus us.” 

The response to the Roscommon incident must be zero tolerance, he stressed, adding that the GAA rulebook requires a drastic beefing up in how it sanctions referee abuse.

“If I was in that scenario in Roscommon, the Gardaí are contacted first because if that happened in the middle of a street on a night out, the Gardaí would be called. In terms of the GAA dealing with it, in my view that equates to a lifetime ban.

“We got to get stronger. I know the FAI are doing minimum three-year bans for any abuse of referees. The GAA rulebook needs to be redefined, that if there is physical or verbal abuse of a referee, there can be no appeal.

“The trend right now is refereeing could go like the priesthood. If the GAA don’t act and people don’t cop themselves on, there won’t be referees to cover all games in 10 or 15 years because young referees won’t have come through.” 

Playing rules also require tidying up, argued the 2019 Cork hurling final referee, as differing interpretations by referees is not winning them any friends on the sideline or in the stand.

“The rulebook doesn’t help referees in trying to go out and do their job because the interpretation of some rules are too open. The rulebook needs to be completely reviewed and changed, and that is going to be a massive challenge.

“GAA management want refs to do one thing and the players and public want refs to do the opposite. Obviously, player welfare is imperative, but we need to get a joint balance. If that balance can be achieved, maybe the critics on the bank and sideline might start respecting refs a lot more.” 

While physical and verbal abuse are in the headlines because of what happened in Ballyforan, the seriousness and prevalence of social media abuse cannot be forgotten in whatever strategy emerges from this ugly episode.

A couple of weeks ago, Wall was informed of a TikTok video that contained clips of him refereeing a game last year, while the text in the video read, “this man should never ever referee”.

“It is nothing major, but it is still online abuse. It was water off a duck’s back to me, but another ref could have a completely different reaction to it.” 

Social media commentary of referees isn’t helped, he reckons, by the manner in which RTÉ’s The Sunday Game scrutinises refereeing performances week-after-week.

“They are calling out where referees made mistakes and, in the process, they are tarnishing the referee. They are also allowing Paddy Joe, on the line for a club game where that referee is in charge, to pass a smart comment.

“Something like the referee mic, used in the Kerry hurling final, is how we start changing culture. It’s just a pity that wasn’t continued with in other games.

“Instead of finger-pointing at referees, let’s start supporting them. Let modern technology bring us on a journey that will enable people to better understand why a referee made a certain decision, and it may also help referees improve. And before you know it, we might have a consistent approach and less aggressive language coming from the bank and sideline.”