‘One father threatened to stab the referee’: why does kids’ football bring out the worst in parents?

‘Young people were saying that what they didn’t like about the game was mouthy adults on the touchline.’Illustration: Gus Scott/The GuardianA chilly Saturday morning on the Astroturf pitches at Coram’s Fields in central London and several youth football matches are under way. I’m watching an under-11s game. The sound is the thud of boot on ball, the shrill interruption of the referee’s whistle, and a whole lot of shouting. From the players (“Mine!”