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

When they’re not shouting at their own children, many of Britain’s soccer dads like nothing more than swearing at the officials, or even trading blows on the touchline. Isn’t this supposed to be fun? A 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!”, “Here!”, “Pass!”, “Ref!”, etc). From the two coaches (“Press!”, “Stay wide!”, “Push up!”, “Ref!”, etc). And from the touchline dads. There is one mum here today, but she’s less vocal.To varying degrees, the dads are part fan, part coach, part personal trainer to their progeny. There is one dad (there’s always one) who’s taking it a bit further, who’s a bit shoutier than the others. “Get rid of it!” he screams at the defence, meaning hoof it upfield, which is the opposite of the ...

Sport

2 w. ago ITV The 1% Club viewers all say the same thing over 'ridiculous' £96,000 question

Lee Mack's The 1% Club saw one lucky contestant walk away with a whopping £96,000 in Saturday's episode, but viewers were divided over the difficulty of the question that clinched the win

Economics

2 w. ago ITV The 1% Club viewers slam Lee Mack over 'brutal' remark to contestant

The 1% Club viewers were left fuming at Lee Mack after the comedian made a cutting remark to a contestant during the tense ITV quiz show, which saw one player scoop up a huge sum of money

Culture

2 w. ago The 1% Club viewers slam Lee Mack's 'insensitive' jibe at contestant's appearance

Lee Mack jokingly took aim at a contestant's appearance on ITV's The 1% Club, but viewers at home were far from happy and blasted the comedian for being insensitive

Politics

2 w. ago The 1% Club viewers horrified by Lee Mack's 'brutal and insensitive' remark about contestant's appearance

The 1 Percent Club host Lee Mack has left viewers outraged after making a 'brutal' comment about a contestant's appearance. Lee, 56, made the comment during Saturday's episode.

Politics

3 w. ago The 1% Club viewers jeer 'that was easy!' as players pass on 'obvious' question

Saturday night's instalment of the ITV quiz show, hosted by Lee Mack, saw 100 contestants attempt to win a huge cash prize.

Sport

3 w. ago The 1% Club viewers left fuming as players sent home after 'easiest question ever'

The 1% Club fans were left scratching their heads on Saturday night as three players were eliminated after one of the easiest questions they've seen on the show

Society