MONTREAL — Alouettes president Mario Cecchini was “shocked” by the aggression suffered by an umpire during a college game this weekend.
“It doesn’t make sense what happened,” he said in a phone interview.
“It’s fair to say the referee didn’t help us or criticize a decision. It’s part of the sport. However, it is not acceptable to physically or verbally attack a referee. I was deeply shocked by the thing.”
Last Saturday in Saint-Hyacinthe, the confrontation between the prizewinners and the Noir et Or de Valleyfield was broken off at half-time after a relative hit a referee several times. The family man didn’t like a decision that denied either team a touchdown and let it be known in the worst possible way.
“There’s never a missed call that deserves a chipped tooth!” Cecchini claimed.
Visibly moved by the attack, the President discussed the issue with his team. The Alouettes have therefore decided to take a moment to honor the umpires during Sunday’s playoff game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Take advantage of their platform
This is part of one of the missions that Cecchini gave himself when he came to post with the “Als”. The professional organization needs to have some leadership over all football in Quebec.
“We are playing an important game and there will be a lot of people present. We are therefore fortunate to take the time to highlight their dedication to our sport. I really want the spectators in attendance to stand up and applaud our officials.”
“These are people who have day jobs and nobody is making a fortune in the Canadian Football League. Imagine yourself in minor football.
“Their work is difficult,” added Cecchini. In our case, they’re watching about 20,000 pairs of eyes and automatically take action against them when they make a decision in favor of the other team. It can be intimidating and it’s not easy. It’s important to recognize their work because without referees there is no game.