FIFA refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina backs Mail Sport's Stop Abusing Referees campaign as a 'very good initiative'... after labelling the treatment of officials 'a cancer that kills football'

FIFA's refereeing chief Pierluigi Collina has backed the Daily Mail's campaign to stop fans and players abusing match officials, which he described as 'a cancer that kills football.'

The 63-year-old, who was voted the world's best referee six years in a row and took charge of the 2002 World Cup final before joining FIFA's refereeing committee, praised our Stop the Abuse campaign for highlighting a problem he believes will drive youngsters in particular away from the sport.

'The abuse of referees is a cancer, it's one of the worst things you can see in football,' Collina told Mail Sport. 'I think every activity and every campaign aimed at protecting referees, particularly at grassroots level, is welcome.

'FIFA is very grateful to the Daily Mail and happy for the attention given to this problem, which is a worldwide problem. We all need to take action to do something, as without action we will face big problems in the future.'

Collina is particularly concerned about the abuse of referees at grassroots level, which he said is leading to a shortage of officials all over the world. The Italian expressed concern at stories of verbal and physical abuse suffered by youngsters on the pitch which he fears will lead to parents curbing their involvement in football.

'It's a shame that young referees in particular are verbally abused and even physically abused in their matches,' he said. 'It's difficult to understand why a youngster would decide to become a referee in these circumstances, or why their parents would let their son or daughter become a referee today.

'At grassroots level referees are only there to help people play football, to give them the opportunity to play together, spend time together and to learn some values from football that could be important to their futures as human beings, not as professional footballers.

'I repeat, this is a very good initiative. At FIFA we are very happy that the Daily Mail are putting focus on this issue. We all have to do something to find solutions. What is happening today is not acceptable.'

Collina's concerns echo those at the Daily Mail, who launched a campaign highlighting the abuse of grassroots referees after two young officials shared their shocking experiences on the It's All Kicking Off podcast.

Rhys Baldwin took the decision to quit refereeing in April after 11 years. The 25-year-old explained how he had knives pulled on him and his car keyed in response to refereeing decisions he made in matches. Another referee George Sleigh quit after suffering a broken jaw from a player he had sent off in a five-a-side match.

The FA also backed the campaign last week and most of the 20 Premier League managers have conceded that their behaviour towards referees needs to improve, a view supported by the statistics. Managerial bookings for dissent have almost quadrupled this season compared to the previous campaign, whilst bookings shown to players have more than doubled.

'Referees are the lifeblood of our game,' a spokesperson said. 'We support the Daily Mail campaign to encourage and promote respect towards them,' an FA spokesperson said.