Ontario Soccer is introducing body cameras to curb ref abuse, but some say culture change starts with adults

The Current22:41Referees adopt body cameras to confront abuse

Adrian Tanjala has faced a lot of abuse since starting his soccer refereeing career at 15. But nothing could compare to what the 21-year-old had to deal with in 2021, when a fight broke out in an under-18 match he was reffing.

“I’m putting [my red card] back in my pocket and before I can turn around, both teams have just sort of converged at the fight,” he told The Current‘s Matt Galloway. “Everyone’s fighting everyone. I’m getting hit several times.”

“Parents, they’ve come from the bleachers onto the field — you’d think they’d pull the