'I was attacked on a football pitch aged 16 - it changed me'

A referee who was racially abused during a football game has created an app to help officials in distress. At just 16-years-old, Rohan Anand was called a racial slur after he sent off a player for a dangerous tackle.

The incident occurred during a men's game at Wythenshawe Sports Ground 11 years ago. It's a moment that's stuck with him and shaped his life.

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News about the incident, he said: "I remember it quite vividly actually,

"There was a foul I gave on the halfway line. It was clear as day to me that it was a two footed one.

"He's got up and I've sent him off straightaway, and he's just looked at me and was like 'you f***ing p**i'. He pretty much shouted in my face.

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"All the other players grabbed him straight away and I was just in shock. I wasn't sure exactly what had happened and I was just numb for the rest of the game and got through it.

"When I got back in the car I was just like 'wow'."

Reflecting on the harrowing moment, Rohan praised the conduct of the other players and coaches for how they supported him that day. "The players were really good about it," he explained.

"They got him away first to make sure everything settled. Because I was only 16 it became a safeguarding issue.

"A lot of the players were just apologising. Even the guy who said it came to apologise at the end of the game.

"That probably helped, but to be honest it was the fact that it came out in the first place. It made me realise that there's still so much more work that we can do in football."

It's a moment that had a big impact on Rohan, 27, who has been a grassroots referee for ten years now.

And his experience isn't unique.