It is with regret that I write this letter about my experience of playing at the Discovery Soccer Park in Illovo.
A sign at the venue’s entrance extols the virtue of a well-mannered soccer player, stating that he or she should never let the referee’s decisions, favourable or otherwise, determine the outcome of a contest.
By that definition, the various corporate leagues at Discovery have the worst players on earth.
Every week, I witness referees’ dignity being trodden on through verbal abuse and threats from grown men who should know better. Generally sensible men transform into mindless louts over trivial things.
Referees make mistakes, but the way the officials at Discovery Soccer Park are treated is a disgrace.
The story is always the same. One team embarrasses the other on the scoreboard. The opposition, clearly frustrated by this, becomes overly robust in trying to kick their opponents around as a last resort. Recently, a match of ours was abandoned while we were leading because of this. The other night, I nearly came to blows with an opponent that could have led to a severe injury.
A clear pattern has emerged that the lower down you go on the divisions table, the more these incidents become prevalent. I think the time has come that management at this venue introduces tougher sanctions for this type of behaviour because a nasty incident is around the corner. We all pay a fee to play soccer at the park so we have a right to air our grievances.
I know I speak for many people.
