A 13-year-old football referee in Spain: 'It is my favourite thing to do, but I want to be respected'

The youngest match official in Andalucía's Granada province has recently has become a target for spectators and pushy parents

José Ignacio Cejudo

Granada

Thursday, 17 April 2025, 09:23

At just 13 years of age, Aitor is the youngest football referee in Spain's Granada province. Whether because of his age or something else, he has become a target for football spectators and bullying parents. Last Friday, the mother of one of the players in the match went to the pitch and stopped him on his way to the changing room, just after Aitor had signalled half-time. "I had sent her son to the bench for two minutes, because he was very nervous and his coach hadn't put him back in, but she shouted at me and demanded to know what was happening," said the boy, adding that the mother threatened to wait for him at the exit.

Aitor immediately activated the protocol for referee protection and called off the match under the supervision of National Police officers, who came to help and escort him home.

The young referee admitted to having felt emotionally sick after the unpleasant situation. He spent Saturday fishing with one of his grandparents in Calahond, trying to "switch off for a bit". The break only confirmed his determination "to continue refereeing". "Refereeing is what I like the most; I am not going to stop just because some hooligan shouts at me," he said.

The match on Friday marked the third time he has been brought to tears in the changing room so far this season. All three incidents were initiated by parents. "The younger the players are, the worse the parents are. Sometimes it's their own children who tell me not to listen to the crowd," said Aitor. Afraid that the preventative measure of holding the matches behind closed doors "wouldn't be fair for everyone", he suggested restricting the access for a couple of months for those who do insult and bully.

Support

Aitor has the support of the rest of his fellow referees, who remind him that he is the one who knows the rules. Despite his young age, he is undergoing continuous training. His parents also have his back, especially his father, José David, who was also a referee for twelve years until five years ago. "He tells me to do whatever I want to and that he will always be there for me. He tells me lots of anecdotes of his that I learn from," said Aitor.

Although his passion for refereeing has been passed down by his father, Aitor started in football as a player. "I was in a team for several years, but I didn't feel comfortable. I played very tensely; I don't like coaches shouting at their players if they fail, because I believe that what you have to do is support them and not reproach them while they are learning. I felt it wasn't my thing and decided to try refereeing, and I'm really enjoying it," he said. "I love going from one place to another and meeting people, directing matches with my own decisions and having experiences."

"It looks very different from the other side of the pitch, as if refereeing was as easy as just whistling, but it's not like that - there are a lot of rules. Often you don't know whether to whistle or whether to give a caution. Intervening in matches gives you a lot of adrenaline, especially if they are exciting," said Aitor. "It's my biggest hobby. The days I referee are very exciting, because I can play up to seven matches one after the other."

Despite his talent and passion, Aitor only sees refereeing as "a secondary job" for now. "If I make it to the First Division... that's what I'll take with me."

Aitor will return to refereeing the first week after the Easter break. "I would like them to respect me and everyone else more, because without us there would be no games. Shouting at us doesn't solve anything; on the contrary, it makes us more nervous," he said, hoping that his public statement would help "people become aware and stop normalising something that is not normal".

'We get insulted most of the time'

"We go to the games and we already know that, at the very least, we're going to be insulted; it happens almost every time, nine out of ten. They tell us that we know what we're getting into when we become referees," said Aitor, who calls for "harsher punishments" for those who disrupt matches. For the time being, he hopes that the mother who ran onto the pitch to threaten him last Friday "will never be able to enter a football ground again".

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