Montreal soccer coach altercation sparks debate about equipping referees with body cameras
A recent altercation at a Montreal-area soccer game has people wondering whether referees should wear body cameras on the field.
The incident happened Saturday after witnesses say the coach of a Lakeshore female soccer team hurled insults at the referee, in front of dozens of teenage players and their parents.
"I told myself, he’s about to break his nose," said a parent who witnessed the incident, but didn't want to be identified because the dispute is still very much alive on social media.
The subject of intimidation is so sensitive that one of the teams involved in Saturday's dispute asked parents and volunteers not to talk about what happened.
The coach from Lakeshore was expelled from the game and later fired by the Lakeshore Soccer Club.
"The Lakeshore Soccer Club in no way condones any mistreatment of soccer officials and/or [aggressive] behaviour on the part of our coaching staff, and our players," reads a statement on the club's website. "The coach has been removed from their coaching duties with our club."
This comes just as the Ontario Soccer Association launched a pilot project to start handing out body cameras to referees, similar to the ones used by some police forces.
"The fact we have to put a camera on a referee doesn't bode very well as a statement to our society," said Johnny Misley, the head of Ontario Soccer.
The decision comes at a time when verbal and sometimes physical abuse by parents and coaches is the main reason why Soccer Ontario has lost 80 per cent of its soccer referees, a phenomenon that is spreading to other sports as well.
"Any tool that we can use to cut down on abuse is very important," said Matthew Bagazolli, vice-president of the Toronto Referees' Association.
But not everyone thinks it's a good idea, including Charlie Ghorayeb, who has coached basketball and football for 40 years in Montreal.
"I was a coach, I lost my temper, I've said things I've regretted, I've raised my voice," he said, adding that parents likely won't care if referees are wearing a body camera or not.
His solution? Referees need better training to learn how to deal with behaviours, not just the sport's rules and regulations.
"I think they need to grow a skin," Ghorayeb said.
But for the parent who witnessed Saturday's altercation, abusive coaches and adults simply don't belong on the field.
"It's as if people have lost all their filters," said the mother of two teenagers, including one who wanted to be a referee but who isn't so sure anymore.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Person on fire outside Trump's hush money trial rushed away on a stretcher
A person who was on fire in a park outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump’s hush money trial is taking place has been rushed away on a stretcher.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Senators reject field trip to African Lion Safari amid elephant bill study
The Senate legal affairs committee has rejected a motion calling for members to take a $50,000 field trip to the African Lion Safari in southern Ontario to see the zoo's elephant exhibit.
CFIA monitoring for avian flu in Canadian dairy cattle after U.S. discoveries
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is encouraging veterinarians to keep an eye out for signs of avian influenza in dairy cattle following recent discoveries of cases of the disease in U.S. cow herds.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
DEVELOPING G7 warns of new sanctions against Iran as world reacts to apparent Israeli drone attack
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict.
'It could be catastrophic': Woman says natural supplement contained hidden painkiller drug
A Manitoba woman thought she found a miracle natural supplement, but said a hidden ingredient wreaked havoc on her health.
After hearing thousands of last words, this hospital chaplain has advice for the living
Hospital chaplain J.S. Park opens up about death, grief and hearing thousands of last words, and shares his advice for the living.
Vancouver firefighter in rehab at home after losing leg to flesh-eating infection overseas
A family trip took a frightening turn for Christopher Won when he was diagnosed with flesh-eating disease while in Hong Kong and now, after weeks of treatment overseas, the Vancouver firefighter is back home recovering.