A YOUNG referee was threatened at a junior football league game and was told by a coach who was sent off that “I am going to f***ing t**t him”.

Bolton, Bury and District Football League secretary Warren Barlow has sent a letter to all of its 718 teams warning they are taking a zero tolerance approach to the ‘toxic behaviour’ and abuse of referees by coaches and players.

He posted it on social media after recent incidents saying it was a ‘critical issue’.

Even though it is across the board nationally too, he said it was ‘sad and disappointing’ to talk about the ‘atmosphere’ at “games from the pre-match build up, with emails and social media posts of a toxic nature, to the game day itself, the abuse to opposition and sadly to the referees who become the brunt of much of this toxic behaviour in addition to the post-match verbal’s and aggression which has continued long after the game has concluded”.

He added that it is across the board and is not “just the boys on a Saturday, its also toxic for several girls’ teams on a Sunday.”

Mr Barlow added there had been a number of incidents recently.

“The toxic behaviour hasn’t even stopped when we have allocated a junior referee to a game as we have had a few who have been referred to as “f***ing cheats” and we have had players, coaches and referees threatened with violence and we even had a grown man who was a coach, shout to one of our junior referees who he had sent him off from the touchline “I am going to f***ing t**t him after.”

He said that adults had been part of the behaviour adding, “The ones who should know better, the ones who should be setting the example!”

In the letter Mr Barlow added that they are taking action on clubs and people committing the offences in junior football.

He said: “This cannot continue and must STOP!

“As such we plead with the VAST MAJORITY of good people in the game to help eradicate this from grassroots football.

“We challenge those good people to stand up to the abusers and work with us to do this, as such we provide our steps which we will be taking to help improve the situation for all.”

Among the punishments include referees having a zero tolerance to abuse and aggression and to ‘sin bin, caution and send off’ offenders.

Meanwhile, any offending fans would be asked to leave.

If it is not successful, the match official would be able to give a warning that the game would be abandoned and if it continued then the game is called off and a report is given.

But Mr Barlow added the action does not stop there as league fixtures for the offending team will see game cancelled for 14 days.

The league will ask for an action plan and behaviour monitored and as a last resort they may even be able expelled from the league.