Arsenal stars back campaign to support grass-roots referees
The ‘Back The Whistleblowers’ campaign is raising money for the training of budding officials
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A new campaign which highlights the crucial role that match officials play in football has been backed by Arsenal stars Olivier Giroud, Nacho Monreal and Petr Cech.
‘Back The Whistleblowers’, an initiative from online bookmaker Betfair and independent organisation You Are The Ref, is aiming to raise awareness of how difficult it can be to officiate in the sport.
It is also intended to raise funds, with Betfair promising to donate £10 to You Are The Ref for every yellow card issued in the Premier League to date (including this weekend’s games)
Donations will be used to send more grass roots referees on special training courses to help improve the overall standards of refereeing and participation numbers in the UK.
Arsenal stars Giroud, Monreal and Cech took it in turns to referee an 11-a-side amateur match to show just how tough it can be. Among the players involved were former Premier League officials Mark Halsey and Glenn Turner, who were tasked with rating the refereeing performance of each of the Arsenal stars.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments