Death threat against 12-year-old referee: Federation working on it

A death threat issued against a 12-year-old referee by a player of the same age is occupying the regional German football body of Bavaria (BFV).

BFV president Christoph Kern spoke of "a case that caught our attention" on Bayerischer Rundfunk TV late Sunday.

"It also raises the question of how we deal with the case. The sports court is one thing, but we are dealing with two twelve-year-olds, the perpetrator and the victim," he said.

Kern said that the player and the referee are not in action at the moment after the player allegedly told the referee during a youth match: "I go to the same school as you. You don't have to hide on Monday - you will be dead after school."

Kern said that "we brought in a child psychologist and sat down with the parents." He said the victim must be protected but highlighted that the offender is also only 12.

"Our goal is to deal with the situation in such a way that, at the end of the day, it doesn't happen again," he said.

Kern, who is a judge, said that there can be no criminal case because the player is under-age, and said the incident was a reflection of society.

"We are seeing our society becoming more brutal, with the tone becoming harsher. Football, as a popular sport, is a reflection of this," he said.

The BFV has said that it registered 80 incidents during 200,000 matches in Bavaria last season, a figure similar to previous years. Kern said there may be an impression of more incidents because of wider media coverage.