Refs turning backs on game: UEFA chief

UEFA referees chief Volker Roth, the man threatened with a law suit by Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, today claimed that match officials are turning their back on football due to abuse from managers and players.

Roth, who has infuriated Mourinho by labelling him “an enemy of football” for his part in Swedish referee Anders Frisk’s decision to quit, said the pressure on officials was intolerable.