A Charleston man is facing a criminal charge for pushing a 74-year-old referee to the ground during a youth soccer game.
Ivan Stefanyshyn, 41, grew increasingly frustrated with the referee during his 10-year-old son’s championship match at the James Island Cup in November, eventually rushing onto the field and shoving the referee, according to a report from the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office. He was given a summons to appear at an April court date for third-degree assault and battery.
This incident is the latest example of an ongoing problem in South Carolina, where the rise in parents harassing, threatening and physically assaulting game officials is jeopardizing youth sports. Youth sporting events are being delayed, postponed or understaffed due to a lack of officials, who say the verbal and physical abuse they regularly receive isn’t worth the $12 to $45 paycheck.
This particular incident in Charleston County, an event that was also understaffed, happened near the end of a championship match for kids between 10 and 12 years old. Stefanyshyn told police the referee was not doing his job because he continued to miss foul calls. He became “highly upset” when his son fell down in what he believes should have been called a foul, and the referee continued as if nothing happened, the report reads.
Reached by phone Tuesday, Stefanyshyn said his son was hit in the chest, knocking him to the ground and leaving him unconscious for about 10 seconds.
“I know I overreacted. I shouldn’t have pushed the referee,” he said. “But when I see my son lying on the ground motionless — I mean, what would you do?”
He said he took his son to the family doctor the next day after he complained of chest pains.
“I’m paying a lot of money every year so they can hire those referees to cover our kids’ games. And they have to protect our kids,” Stefanyshyn said, adding that poor rule enforcement could lead to serious injuries. “Who has to pay that (hospital) bill?”
Every year, more than 775,000 children aged 14 and younger are treated in hospital and emergency rooms for sports-related injuries, according to the National SAFE KIDS campaign and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
In addition, soccer has a higher rate of injury than many other contact sports, including field hockey, rugby and football, with players younger than 15 years old at a higher risk of injury, according to a clinical study in the journal Pediatrics. Appropriate rule enforcement and emphasis on safe play can reduce the risk of soccer-related injuries, the study shows.
“It happened,” Stefanyshyn said. “If I could go back (in time), I wouldn’t have done that. But it’s done.”
He instantly realized what he did was wrong, he said, and he apologized profusely.
Ernest “Bucky” Jones, 74, has been refereeing youth sports for the past 20 years, he said, and he does his best to get all the calls right, just like every other referee. He’s used to spectators yelling and screaming, but nothing like what happened to him in November has ever happened before.
“I’m not after (Stefanyshyn), I’m after the action,” Jones said. “I really don’t care that he pushed me down. I care that I was wearing a referee uniform (at a children’s soccer tournament) and he pushed me down.”
Jones said he is thankful he didn’t suffer an injury from the assault, but he ultimately wants to put an end to the abuse.
“This crap has got to stop. It has got to stop. In all sports,” he said.
The S.C. Youth Soccer Association has taken steps to change the culture of parents holding game officials — many of whom are young and inexperienced — to professional standards.
It started last year with soccer’s Silent September, which barred sideline cheers and jeers to raise awareness about inappropriate sideline behavior.
The association also teamed up with SoccerParenting.com to help create a calmer sideline. The website features videos, online courses and articles to help parents distinguish between supportive, distracting and hostile sideline behavior.
Kenneth Ayers, the state referee administrator, did not return requests for comment about how those initiatives are going.
This story was originally published December 12, 2018 8:23 AM.
