Referee resigns after threats

SOCCER referee Costas Theodotou has resigned after repeated threats against his life, reports said last night. Theodotou quit after receiving threatening phone calls at home from supporters unhappy with the quality of his refereeing, according to the Associated Press (AP).

One of the calls was answered by Theodotou’s six-year-old daughter. Three other referees also said they had received threatening calls, the reports said. Several of the first division’s 18 referees are now thinking of boycotting games this weekend, the head of the referees’ association told AP.

“I have received seven or eight calls from colleagues who said they were fed up with the situation,” Costas Constantinou said. Verbal abuse from supporters had exceeded all reasonable levels, he said, adding that the clubs themselves were often to blame. “The way some club officials act spurs fans to violence and hooliganism. They have turned football into a battlefield,” Constantinou said.

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