SCENE AT A FOOTBALL MATCH

Evening Post, Volume xciv, Issue 73, 24 September 1917, Page 8

SCENE AT A FOOTBALL MATCH

During the playing of an Association match in Auckland recently, between Wild Rose and Brotherhood teams, some unpleasant incidents occurred which will probably be of-interest to followers of the Association game in .Wellington. Several times the referee; who is the Chairman of the' Auckland Football Association, was' subjected to. hooting and jeering. Towards the end of the match he thought it necessary to order one of the Wild Rose players off the field. The player, however, refused to go, and when the game was stopped the crowd teemed over the field, following and hooting the referee. In his report to the Association, the referee stated : "As the jurisdiction of the referee extends: to offences committed off the field of play, I report the Wild Rose team en bloc for violent conduct towards me at the conclusion of the game, while on my way to the. pavilion. I have to state that the animosity displayed by Wild Rose towards myself and members of the opposing team, especially during the second spell, was of an open and uncontrolled nature, such as I have never before witnessed during a long experience of football. From these strictures I exempt a minority of the .Wild Rose players. During the whole of the game I was subjected to a constant volume of abuse and insult by a section of the crowd. . i '.. . I desire to emphatically impress upon the executive of .the A. F. A. the absolute necessity of dealing with clubs, and supporters where possible, in a most decisive manner, as members of your committee as well as myself and linesmen were openly flouted in their endeavours to keep order on the line." In its reply, the club protested against the'ruling of the referee, and also the wa.y in which he controlled the game generally. After some discussion, the Association deferred consideration of the matter' until Tuesday next;