The learners of Crawford Preparatory School paid their respects to principal and former Safa referee, Ian McLeod at a memorial service held at the school on Wednesday.
McLeod was described as a father, mentor and an open-heart man who always wanted the best for the learners. Girls’ soccer team player, Abigail Araya (12) said McLeod taught the team more than just soccer.
“He taught us to embrace our flaws and encouraged us to always do our best. He even gave meaning to what the word heart stands stands for: H-onesty, E-mpathy, A-countability, R-espect and T-rust,” she said.
“He used to call us ‘flawsome’. It means we have flaws, but we`re awesome,” Araya said.
McLeod died after being hospitalised on Thursday, 30 October after a short illness.
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The former referee`s wife, Judy McLeod said he was a good man who always made her laugh.
“He was a wonderful man. Nobody made me laugh like he did,” she said.
Judy said hearing the good things people had to say about her husband made her feel better and that she felt blessed to have spent 34 years married to him.
“Never did he ever have a bad word for me. Even when I would be mad at him, all he would do was smile.”
McLeod gained the reputation of a disciplined and firm referee and was commonly known for his “no nonsense” style of referring gaining him the title ‘Mr Red card’.
Safa CEO, Dennis Mumble, said McLeod was a principled referee who stood firm in his decisions. “No player would dare challenge him. He was firm, compassionate and did things the way they needed to be done,”
Support staff representative, Lukas Kgopane, said McLeod was a humble person whose kindness knew no bounds.
“Townships were like his home, he would greet and hug everyone. He always had his door open for me whenever I had a problem,” Kgopane said.
McLeod was cremated at a private family ceremony on Monday, 30 October.
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