A week after the attack on a referee in Seine-et-Marne, a new referee was attacked on Saturday 2 April in the Somme. The attack took place during a U17 District match between RC Salouël-Saleux and USOAAS Albert, unveiled on Monday 4 April our colleagues from France 3 Hauts-de-France†
Theo Boucher, young 18-year-old umpire, was insulted by a player and two supporters of the RC Salouël-Saleux club before being beaten up by a third player. The blows were violent, inflicting a three-inch injury to his skull. Still according to France 3, Théo Boucher filed a complaint against the four people suspected of insulting and beating him. The young referee, who had just completed his training as a central referee, acted as a holder for the first time, that is, for the first time alone on the field.
“From the beginning of the meeting I noticed whistles from the stands. I heard some parents insult me and challenge my decisions, it was very contemptuous”, Théo Boucher tells our colleagues. At the end of the match, which ended in a win for theUSOAAS Albert (0-1), the referee was taunted by parents of Salouël players. The reason ? They do not support the defeat of their club at the end of this match, but without much effort. “Taking advantage of the parents’ scandal, one of the players started insulting me. he tells. I then gave him a red card after the game, I applied the rules.”
But the tone quickly rose. This penalty angered the player’s mother, who slapped the referee. “And there it went very far, regrets Theo Boucher. Another supporter, who happens to be the sanctioned player’s older brother, then came and hit me on the head and back. Many witnesses told me that the ejected player came behind me and pushed me, causing me to fall on my head. They also explained to me that a second player from Salouel – I don’t know what got into him – also beat me up while I was on the floor.”
“We immediately decided to suspend the two players”, claimed Antonio Dos Santos, president of RC Salouël-Saleux, who also indicated that these events can be traced back to the disciplinary committee. If Théo Boucher confided in him… “squatted in front of the police” shortly after the attack and because he wanted to stop the arbitration, the many supporters gave him confidence. “LI want to find the country again. If I stopped today, I would agree with my attackers.” he concludes.
