'They are shouting at 14-year-old referees at under-10 games'

Referees at underage games in Northumberland are experiencing similar abuse to the that which has halted matches in Dublin next weekend

A detailed view of the assistant referee (Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)

Spectator abuse of referees has reached such proportions that the officials in one league this weekend staged a wildcat strike and if the bad behaviour continues then playing behind closed doors might be next.

The football teams involved all play in an under-10s league and are officiated by younger referees, many of them aged 14-15.