This weekend Liverpool FC is backing a campaign by match officials across the country who will be wearing t-shirts bearing an important message for football fans everywhere.
As part of ‘Respect the Referee’ awareness weekend, referees and officials will don the shirts during their pre-match warm up to promote the Don’t X the Line campaign.
Don’t X the Line was established in 2003 by Malcolm Lee. Its aim is to support a zero tolerance policy towards constant aggression, verbal abuse, bullying and racist comments on and off the football field.
It looks to reach out directly to grassroots participation and so the initiative is aimed specifically at parents and supporters who are at the heart of bad touchline behaviour.
And this weekend, referees and officials will wear the shirts in order to raise awareness of the lack of respect in the game.
Liverpool’s Jamie Carragher has been one of a number of high-profile people within the game who has come out in full support of the scheme in the past.
Over the last eight years the campaign has worked with a host of Premier League clubs and is supported by the FA, the Premier League itself, the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) and the League Management Committee.