Football referee says respect must 'start from the top'

Assaults on grassroots referees by footballers in England have gone up by more than a quarter in the past year.

Figures seen exclusively by Radio 5 live Breakfast show there have been 330 so far this season, compared to 260 this time last year.

The FA insists its Respect campaign is working, with more new referees being recruited, and fewer dropping out of the game.

One referee who has been attacked is Peter Suter from Doncaster. He was head-butted by a player after a game in February.

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