Minister Isabelle Charest welcomes the holding of games without referees to make up for the lack of officials in sport.
• Also read – Lack of referees in student sports: games are even being played without officials
“I believe in games without referees for young people and I also believe very much in the rotation of roles, that parents go to the referee, then that young people go to the referee, and then everyone realizes that, just as the players are not. “Perfect, the referees aren’t perfect either,” said the minister responsible for sport on Wednesday.
Student sports is currently struggling with a severe shortage of referees, resulting in games being played without referees, something that has never happened before. Since the pandemic, an increase in aggressive behavior on the field and in the stands has made recruiting difficult.
Isabelle Charest believes that the “popular discontent” that exists on social networks is reflected locally.
“We have the impression that we behave the same way in the stands as we do on social networks, that we are anonymous and can say anything and that it has no influence,” complains the minister.
Young people are trained in refereeing
According to Liberal MP Enrico Ciccone, playing games without officials will not solve the glaring problem of referee shortages in the long term. “You want to have qualified people on the ice, the referee is there to ensure that things are civilized on the ice and that the rules are enforced,” emphasizes the former ice hockey player.
He suggests that all young athletes receive referee training to make them aware of the role of referee, without forgetting their parents. “The parents who yell at the referees when it’s their child’s turn to referee don’t want people yelling at their child,” the PLQ elected official stressed.
In his opinion, we also need to question the remuneration of civil servants, who sometimes face “brainless parents”.
Enrico Ciccone does not believe that there is necessarily more aggression on the pitch and in the stands now than in the past.
“It was pathetic in my time, but it seems other times have different morals. We were used to it, the referees were used to being shouted at. There are things that are no longer accepted in today’s society, and that’s okay,” says the former NHL player.
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