Being a referee is a generally thankless profession. You have to keep the peace amongst athletes who are getting paid a ton more than you are and then usually get yelled at by everyone over a call you made because you were human. So when they release a little anger, it doesn’t surprise us, not even when they get all death wish-y like they do in the Japanese Soccer League (JSL).

Oita Trinita’s Taikai Uemoto [pictured] said referee Yuichi Nishimura had also verbally abused him after the game when Uemoto said he would report the incident, Japanese media reported on Wednesday.

Japanese media reported that several players overheard a furious Nishimura snap back: “Shut up! You keep quiet and get on with the game. Die!”

Well, someone’s not getting a See’s gift basket this Shogatsu.

“I was shocked,” [Uemoto] told Japan’s Nikkan Sports daily. “If players said the same thing we’d be sent off. We don’t have cards but that ref deserved a red.”

Oh Jesus, don’t put ideas in people’s heads. Could you image players being able to card referees? You might as well burn the stadium before kickoff and save the violence that goes with the riot.

Japanese player says referee told him to “die” [Reuters UK]
Image [soccer-m.ne.jp]