Veikkausliiga Referee Receives Death Threat on Instagram; Police Report Filed

A referee officiating in Finland's top-tier football league, the Veikkausliiga, has become the target of a death threat sent via Instagram. The incident has led to a formal criminal complaint and strong condemnation from the Finnish Football Association (Palloliitto).

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What would you feel if you received a death threat on Instagram? Open a message and realize that an unknown person or account has tagged you in a photo post saying: 'We're going to kill you, you son of a bitch'.

The threat, which translated from English to Finnish as "We're going to kill you, you son of a bitch," was accompanied by the referee's photo on a social media post. The identity of the threatened referee and the perpetrator have not been publicly disclosed.

Marco Casagrande, Secretary General of the Finnish Football Association, expressed his outrage. "Threats, harassment, targeting, or hate speech directed at individuals are not part of football culture, expressing emotions, or supporting teams," Casagrande stated. "Threatening referees in any form is a serious act that may constitute a crime and inherently erodes the operating environment and safety of football."

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Threats, harassment, targeting, or hate speech directed at individuals are not part of football culture, expressing emotions, or supporting teams. Threatening referees in any form is a serious act that may constitute a crime and inherently erodes the operating environment and safety of football.

Casagrande emphasized that while disagreements and criticism of refereeing decisions are acceptable parts of the sport, threats of violence and personal harassment are entirely unacceptable and cannot be justified by freedom of speech or as part of sports culture. Oliver Reitala, Chairman of the Referees' Club, echoed these sentiments, stating that referees are accustomed to critical evaluation but not to personal threats or intimidation.

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Refereeing decisions can be passionately disagreed with. Decisions should be evaluated and criticism can be presented. However, death threats, threats of violence, or personal harassment cannot be justified by freedom of speech or as part of sports culture, but they are completely unacceptable behavior.

The Football Association stressed that referees have the right to perform their duties without fear of violence or threats. "No one should have to fear for their safety because of football. This applies to referees, players, coaches, club officials, and supporters. Safety is not a privilege; it is everyone's right," Casagrande concluded. The association is committed to ensuring a safe environment for all participants in the sport.

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Referees are used to discussions and critical evaluation of their decisions. That is part of our job, it is part of development and football. However, threats directed at individuals and intimidation with violence do not belong in sports or any community.