International referee Ben O’Keeffe has shared screenshots of abusive messages sent to him after he refereed in the Autumn Nations Series on Saturday.
The New Zealander shared a number of screenshots on his Instagram story.
“You don’t realise everyone thinks your a joke,” one user began. “Take time to sit back and think about that….you actually destroyed peoples dreams last night….players and fans….I really hope you fuck off…. your a prick and you know you are….a disgrace to the game.”
“You make me sick,” another user wrote.
“I’m so embarrassed you represent my game, you’re so clueless as to what the rules are,” said another.
Reacting to the messages sent to the whistleblower, one fan wrote: “That’s disgraceful I’m glad he’s sharing it names and all cos these people need to be called out for their behaviour,”
“I wonder do these idiots lose money on games or something. How else would you be that upset over a rugby match to go looking for a ref to abuse them?” commented a second.
A third wrote: “Why would anyone subject themselves to this? We’re going to end up with nobody wanting to ref.”
The strange and wonderful day jobs of international rugby referee’s
Behind the glitz and glamour of international rugby, many world-class referees must work around the clock to fund their rugby dream.
#1. Wayne Barnes – Barrister
Barnes is a barrister and one of the founding members of Fulcrum Chambers. He heads up their Sports Law team and uses his unparalleled experience of supporting corporate clients whilst still being heavily involved at the top end of professional sport.
Wayne Barnes facts:
- When not on the pitch or working with the England team, Barnes is a practising barrister
- Barnes started playing rugby at the age of eight, and took up refereeing aged 15 with Gloucester & District Referees
- He also has two young children, Juno and Beau with wife Polly.
Wayne Barnes toughest player to referee Richie McCaw
BARNES SAID: “Richie always had the knack of asking the right question at the right time, sometimes it felt like I was losing a little bit of control. Contrary to popular belief, he didn’t talk a lot on the field. He knew the law book inside out and so when he asked a question, he often had a point.”
