Soccer Dad Tackles Referee During California Youth Soccer Game

Football mums tend to have the wrong end of the stick when it comes to being the villain of youth football. While the mothers of the world are easy targets, some of the worst people at youth football games are fathers. A California dad wins the Asshole of the Day award for attacking a referee at an Under-16 game over a call he didn’t like.

Andrew Reali was doing his usual job officiating a youth game in Roseville, Calif., this week when he was attacked. According to CBS Sacramento, Reali made a call during the game which upset one of the players. The player in question walked into Reali’s face during the call and the referee reacted by pushing the player away.

Then came Captain Super Prick, who decided the best way to solve the problem was violence. Reali told the media it was the hardest he had ever been hit.

Nothing in this video is funny, but I found the reaction of the central referee strange. It looks like the man in charge of the game was showing a red card when Reali was tackled. The referee then calmly walks to the stage and issues a red card to the parent as if that would stop the crazed football dad.

I understand the parental urge to defend your children. Reali pushing the youngster away was off-camera, so it’s unclear how much the referee pushed the kid. Either way, hitting a referee with a cheap shot in a youth football game is not the answer.

The parent could face criminal charges for their actions.