I do not know if this has been talked about already, but more and more I see to much violence in the field and ref' s allowing it!!!
Before I start, I want to point out that there are referee's out there that get in over their head, and everyone has a bad day once and a while. There are thousands of referees in So-Cal. Keep in mind, that the younger your player is and the lower their competition level, the more likely it is that you will encounter a less experienced or lower rated referee.
Maybe you just needed to vent some frustration, and that is OK, we all need to do that sometimes.
You use the phrase "more and more" which indicates that you are noticing a pattern that has changed over a period of time, which I would assume to be be years in this case. Is it possible that you child is getting older and you are not allowing your perception of play to mature with him?
"Violence" is a very strong term when referring how play in being conducted. I'm going to assume we're talking about reckless play, which is sometimes extending to excessive force, and that by saying that referee's are allowing it, you are saying that they are not calling fouls and/or cautioning and sending off players for their actions.
Question? If my son gets hurt so bad that he cannot play ever again because ref's allowing violent play, are they liable to get fired/sued?
Taking your concerns literally...
"Fired", sure. If you provide evidence that a referee is
allowing players to endanger an opponent then then you should expect the referee association and competition board to take corrective action. Leagues and referee associations encourage club administrators to provide evidence to support these allegations so that they can remedy these situations.
"Sued". Anyone can claim anything against anyone and that can almost always be followed up with a lawsuit. I'm no attorney, but in order to make a claim, you need to estimate damages and be able to identify which parties are at fault. You then run up against a lot of waivers, statuatory and common law that will work against you.
When referring gets out of control letting our boys kill each other until someone gets really hurt
Please review the following training video on Law 12 (Fouls and Misconduct). If anyone is going to say that they have a "better" opinion than the referee about whether play is safe or not, they should be informed about what truly constitutes safe or fair play.
http://www.brainshark.com/ussoccer/vu?pi=zHvzLJTjyz31xyz0
In my limited experience, I've narrowed spectator comments on this subject to 2 basic camps. There is the "let them play!!" people, and the "that's a foul!!" people. Oftentimes they are the same persons, depending on who is doing what at that moment on the field.
We've all heard it, but it bears mentioning again.
Soccer is a contact sport. Trips, charges, kicks, tackles and other contact is allowed as long as it, in the opinion of the referee, isn't done carelessly, recklessly, or with excessive force.
or worse, ref's taking sides and players knowing this.
I think the another way to put it is "He's only calling fouls against us". I believe this opinion is usually caused by spectator bias, not the referee's. To help determine if this is true, record the
WHOLE the game and bring it to a competent person who understands the laws of the game and how referee's are instructed to administer them. This us usually going to be an experienced referee. Don't take it to the coach or a guy you know and ask them if the referee is bad. The law book is pretty small and referee's have training on how to interpret and administer them throughout the entire game. Coaches and the guy you know who played in high school (or anywhere else) probably don't have that training. Without both training and knowledge of the entire game in question, important context is lacking.