A TRIABUNNA player has been suspended indefinitely by the club for allegedly verbally threatening and intimidating umpires. In a number of instances in the last month, reserves coach and senior player Dean Mills is alleged to have threatened match day officials. The SFL met with Triabunna during the week after the Tasmanian Football Umpires Association threatened to not appoint umpires to games involving the Roos. Already the TFUA has lost a handful of members for the 2009 season following the alleged intimidation. The allegations cap a horror week for football in the state, following Clarence's decision to suspend reserves player Tim Orchard for exposing his penis on live television and the revelation TSL players have been urinating on a Campbell Town business. Four weeks ago in a Triabunna versus Kingborough reserves match Mills allegedly threatened to come to an umpire's house to ``deal with them'' if he was reported, while last weekend at Cygnet a female boundary umpire and a female goal umpire said they were verbally intimidated. In the same match at Cygnet, one field umpire did not turn up for the game for fear of being abused. The TFUA sent a letter to the league and all 11 clubs outlining its intentions should no action be taken against Mills by next Tuesday. Cygnet president Brett Direen also sent an email to the SFL backing the TFUA's stance after his club received a letter from a young, volunteer female umpire who says she was verbally threatened at half-time. ``We want to stamp out assault or abuse of umpires. It's hard enough to retain or recruit people and in this case we have already lost a couple of umpires,'' TFUA president Paul Bidgood said. ``If we hadn't taken any action, who knows how many we would have lost. ``Some guys have refused to umpire the team [Triabunna] and definitely to my knowledge two won't umpire for the rest of the year. ``We regret taking any action but our first priority is our members.'' Triabunna secretary Steve Davies contacted the TFUA yesterday morning to alert them to the club's decision. ``The SFL has told us what we can and can't do in regards to the matter and we have got to sort that out internally with our club,'' Davies said. ``We have got to fix that problem with the player. We understand, we have been given the information. ``I play reserves with the player so I know exactly what is going on, it's just a matter that had to be sorted out.'' SFL president Paul Harriss was reluctant to comment on the issue, despite Triabunna making its decision. The club could still face further action from the league. ``No football organisation wants any intimidation or threats to umpires, that's not to say that has occurred on this occasion . . . we are in the process of investigating so it would be inappropriate to make comment regarding the current allegations,'' Harriss said. Mills did not return calls from the Mercury.
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