Football team in Cardiff disbands after alleged assault which led to referee strike

A football team involved in an incident which saw a referee allegedly assaulted has decided to disband, its chairman has said. A referee was allegedly assaulted at a Sunday league match in Cardiff on Sunday, October 27. WalesOnline understands he suffered broken ribs as a result. Police have confirmed they are investigating the incident.

The incident, as well as "deteriorating behaviour on and off the pitch" has led to a group of grassroots referees in Cardiff to go on strike. In a statement released on social media, the Cardiff Referees Association stated they were concerned by the number of matches being abandoned, as well as "deteriorating behaviour on and off the pitch. See the full story here.

"It is with the greatest regret that members of Cardiff Referees' Society have decided to withdraw their services this weekend. November 2nd and 3rd," the statement began.

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"The action will affect the Cardiff and District League (Adult), Cardiff Combination, Lazarou Cardiff Sunday League. Our members are concerned about the increased number of match abandonments and most recently the assault of referee.

"The deteriorating behaviour on and off the pitch cannot continue. It is hoped that this unprecedented action will help to send a clear message."

It is understood that the alleged assault took place between Cardiff based Elite Eleven FC and Rumney Dragons FC, played in St Mellons. Elite Eleven won the match 1-0 and there were six yellow cards given by the referee.

Now, the chairman of Rumney Dragons, Kyle Bartlett has said that the team has folded after the incident, citing struggling player numbers and the alleged assault as the "final straw".

He told WalesOnline that he didn't "really know what happened" regarding the incident and that he was at the other end of the pitch "by the net" when it occurred. He said that the "club has folded after the incident" and did not have any other information to offer about what happened. He said that the team were "struggling for players anyway" and that "this is the final straw".

Tackling abuse towards officials has already been a key issue in the game in recent years. A survey conducted by the Football Association of Wales (FAW) last year revealed that one in four match officials in Wales had suffered physical abuse while officiating.

A further 88 per cent said they had also been verbally abused, which was causing many officials to walk away from the game altogether.

South Wales Police have confirmed they are investigating the incident. They said: “South Wales Police is investigating an assault on a 49-year-old man from Barry. The assault took place on Sunday October 27 at around 1:00pm at a football match in St.Mellons.”