Jail threat after referee attack

Christopher Yewen was told he could face jail

A Sunday league footballer has been warned he could be jailed after he admitted punching a team-mate and trying to headbutt a referee.

Christopher Yewen, 25, of Greensill Avenue, Tipton, in the Black Country, admitted two charges of common assault at West Bromwich Magistrates' Court.

He had been sent off in last November's match between the Kings Arms and Tipton Social that was eventually abandoned.

A third assault charge against Yewen was dropped.

Yewen was given unconditional bail and will be sentenced on 2 June.

Attempted headbutt

He admitted assaulting his team-mate at an earlier hearing.

He had been due to face trial for the remaining two charges on Wednesday, but pleaded guilty to one at the hearing and the second was dropped.

Referee Steven Durnall said match officials needed protection

The court was told that after being sent off, Yewen had punched his team-mate, came back on to the pitch and tried to headbutt the referee and then waited outside the changing rooms after the game to attack him again.

Chairman of the magistrates bench Karl Bevington said Yewen had been guilty of two serious assaults and referees deserved protection at football matches.

Outside court, the attacked referee Steven Durnall said: "I think violence is definitely creeping into the game more and more, especially down at grass roots level.

"I feel referees don't get the protection they deserve."

Yewen has been banned indefinitely by the Birmingham Football Association but a group of referees who went on strike following his attack has warned the problem could get worse.

Herville Hector, of the Warley Referees' Association, said: "We've said quite a few times that we do believe that a referee will get seriously hurt if something isn't done about it, to stamp out the bad behaviour of the players."

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version