Reader Aghast at Ref’s Penalty Calls, Behavior

To The Editor:
Corruptness: lack of integrity, use of position for dishonest gain, impairment of moral principles, destroying someone or group’s honesty.
This definition befits the referee at the soccer game on Sept. 29 at Crest Memorial Field. He was partial to the home team from the very start of the game. He did not seem to see the home teams infractions but had eagle eyes when it came to the visitors. His penalty calls against the visitors were blatantly one sided and most times were not even warranted. What kind of message is this sending to our children? That it’s OK to cheat to get ahead in life? Don’t we have enough of this mentality in the world already?
Not only was his refereeing poor, he did not have a clue what was going on in the field. At least three times players were down injured and he never even noticed. The players and coaches themselves were screaming to stop the game that a player was down,
Obviously this team has had experiences like this before as the goalie was overheard saying the visiting team really should have been credited for a goal because he caught the ball behind the line. The adult he said this to just laughed.
Team player No. 31 (Goalie): by his size he seemd to be a senior player and a very good goalie, and as such, he should be a role model to his fellow teammates. Threatening to break knees, break fingers, and pay back players they feel deserve it, is not only poor sportsmanship, it is also a dangerous way to play. Yes there is always chatter and taunts, but they were true to their word when a player came up with crushed fingers. Was the coach proud of them?
This is not a sour grapes letter because I truly feel sorry for this team. An adult who they should look up to is destroying their honesty and integrity as a team. The ref, the coach, nor anyone else has a right to do this.
The visiting team acted professionally, sucked up the erroneous calls and still managed to tie the game. They can be proud of themselves, as are their parents and coaches.