The new kits for the referees of the Mallorcan grassroots categories have been presented at the Sant Ferran Sports Centre, which includes messages such as ‘Don’t shout!’, ‘Don’t insult!’ or ‘With clean sport, we always win!’. A campaign of values that arises from a collaboration agreement between the Consell de Mallorca and the Football Federation of the Balearic Islands (FFIB) for the 2024-25 season.
During the league of the grassroots categories (from prebenjamines to juveniles), a total of 350 referees will display these direct messages on their shirts. The aim is to promote verbal ‘Non-violence’ on the fields, in the stands and even among the teams participating in the league, through a direct appeal to players, families and match attendees.
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The Consell and the Football Federation convey messages of ‘no verbal violence’ on the fields through 350 base referees
The presentation of the campaign of the Consell de Mallorca and the FFIB has been attended today by the president of the Consell, Llorenç Galmés; the second vice president and Minister of Environment, Rural Affairs and Sports, Pedro Bestard; the island director of Sports, Toni Prats, and the president of the Football Federation of the Balearic Islands (FFIB), Jordi Horrach. There was also representation from the ‘protagonist referees’, the president of the Technical Committee of Referees of the FFIB, Javier Martín, and three top referees: Amy Peñalver, Mateo Busquets and Guillermo Cuadra.
The president of the Consell, Llorenç Galmés, stressed that ‘it is time to say “enough” to verbal violence in football fields. From the Consell de Mallorca, we want to raise awareness from a very early age of the importance of fair and respectful play, but also to the clubs and families, because it is a task and responsibility of all.
The second vice-president and sports councillor, Pedro Bestard, for his part, commented that ‘it is an important milestone because referees do not usually carry any kind of message. But current behaviour makes direct and forceful action necessary so that respect is the main value of the game, especially in the lower categories’.
Horrach, president of the FFIB, described this campaign as positive: ‘It is in line with the main line and philosophy of the Federation’s work in the grassroots categories: children should enjoy playing again’. For his part, Javier Martín commented that ‘from the Technical Committee of Referees we are witnesses to everything that happens on the pitch. Unfortunately, we sometimes witness situations that should not take place in our sport. This problem affects us all: players, coaches, referees and fans. ‘From the CTA we have created the figure of the Instructor whose function is, among other things, the proper application of the anti-violence protocol on appropriate occasions,’ he added.