For decades they have been showered with abuse from almost every corner of the football ground; from managers, players and fans alike.
But it seems that Scottish referees have blown the whistle and decided that enough is enough, threatening this weekend's round of top flight matches.
Officials from the Scottish Premier League (SPL) have voted to stage a walkout in protest at what they see as an unacceptable level of abuse they have received in recent months, abuse that they believe has threatened their safety.
The Scottish Football Association (SFA) vowed to avert the planned action with chief exec Stuart Regan saying he had "sympathy" for the referees. He added that the SFA would now look to source referees from other countries if a solution is not found before the weekend.
SFA resident George Peat called the decision to strike "a sad day for Scottish football." He told reporters: "We will do everything we possibly can to broker a deal before the weekend because it's obviously important that officials are on duty.
CNN
