Lionel Cann, president of the Bermuda Referees Association, believes football clubs have a responsibility to make sure that matches are safe, not just for match officials but also players and spectators.

Cann was speaking following last weekend’s controversy at Somerset Cricket Club where referee Martin Wyer was subjected to racial abuse during the FA Cup match between the home team and Dandy Town. Wyer, at one stage, threatened to abandon the match because of the abuse.

This week Cassandra Trott, one of the two senior female referees, confirmed that constant abuse forced her to quit officiating in December. It is behaviour, Cann says, that is unacceptable, though nothing new.

“Obviously, we are going through a period of abuse towards referees, it’s an issue that has been ongoing for many years and has not been addressed properly,” said Cann who became president of the association in December 2017. He first took up officiating 25 years ago with the likes of Gregory Grimes, Aldwyn Savoury and Carlyle Crockwell, all now deceased.

He returned three years ago to find not much has changed, with referees and linesmen often the targets when tempers get out of control in tense situations.

“It’s a society problem and some people accept that they can go to matches and be abusive,” Cann said. “As an official, you have to accept that you are going to deal with that but there is a line and when that line is crossed it has to be dealt with.

“Last year when I became president, I met with the head of security to make sure that all the security was in place.

“Things were in place but obviously clubs were not enforcing it and the referees association took a stance last year that the security protocols that are in place clubs have to be adhered to.

“We sent letters out to the clubs to make sure that security was present at games, so we did not have to take the stance of calling matches off. The next thing we’re tackling is the abuse which has been prevalent for many years, especially towards female referees. They need to be fully protected, although the male referees get just as much abuse, the females are an easier target.”

Cann added: “The clubs know the policy of the BFA where fans are not allowed to use abusive language and clubs are not holding their end of the bargain before it even gets to the referees. Clubs have an obligation to make sure their grounds are safe, whether it be for spectators, players, anybody on their premises.

“For us, there have only been one or two incidents of physical threats, but you don’t want it to get to that point. Now we are at the stage where we are taking a no-nonsense approach along with the BFA where, if the clubs don’t deal with it, we have every right to stop the match if the person is not removed.”

Cann, a veteran cricketer, admits that abuse is not confined to just football matches. “It’s something that’s been going on for years and has not been addressed, not just football but also cricket, in fact sport in general,” he stated.

“We’ve allowed the abuse and amount of language that’s being used and it’s unfortunate. Everybody gets passionate on the field, but the players you can control. The spectators, the officials have no control of. Clubs are still not holding up their bargain.

“One of the main things I wanted to do when I came in as president was to make sure security was in place and that the abuse calmed down. The referees, at the end of the day, are human and we make mistakes.

“Players makes mistakes but they don’t get half as much abuse as the referees. It’s a thankless job, but with so many young referees that we have now, including six women, the last thing we need is for them to walk into an abusive environment and not be protected. All stakeholders have a role to play, but it is a society thing, not just in football.

“It has become the norm and will only be bad for the sport.

“It will be a thin line between us having all these refs to not having any at all if the abuse doesn’t stop. We’ve already lost the fans because they don’t want to be in a hostile environment.

“I can remember back in the day there would be thousands of fans at games.”