BELMOPAN, Mon. Aug. 13, 2018– At a time when we are at a peak of celebrating the accomplishments of our female athletes, it has come to the attention of the Football Federation of Belize (FFB) that a female referee, Yuri Daniels, was allegedly assaulted by a player. The incident took place yesterday, August 12, after he was issued a red card. The Federation condemns this despicable act and will not tolerate such behavior.
The Football Federation of Belize and the President, Mr. Sergio Chuc, take this opportunity to express that the Federation will not tolerate or encourage violence against women. FFB is in full support of Ms. Daniels and will be sure to provide support and guidance for legal actions to be taken.
The Federation takes this opportunity to remind the general public that violence within the sport will not be tolerated and all matters will be investigated by relevant parties. It is important to always be mindful that sportsmanship and respect for teammates, opponents and officials of the game in all capacities, is an integral part of all sports.
– press release-
(Amandala Sports Ed. Note: Shameful, deplorable, reprehensible, disgusting, regrettable… We all sincerely apologize on behalf of the brother who must have temporarily lost his mind. The law must take its course. Sadly, this is a reflection of the times. A male referee suffered a badly broken jaw about a year ago by another brother whose mind got carried away by anger; and just a few weeks ago at the National Male Amateur finals in Orange Walk, some players showed stark disrespect for the authority of the referee. One thing leads to another thing… Other players and fans who encourage disgruntled brothers in their negative anger, instead of intervening and talking some sense to them, share some responsibility for this destructive trend in our behavior. Most fans want to see good football; not men beating up and kicking up on each other. Applaud good sportsmanship and quality football; bon fire pahn nasty playing and unsportsmanlike conduct. Without discipline, we have nothing. Bring back the love and dignity to “the beautiful game”!)