This may seem out place, but it is well known that referees have a
drinking problem the higher they go.
Some do it to alleviate the pain of doing 2 to 3 games a night - to
dealing with all the bitching that is thrown at referees.
It was a topic at several ref meetings when I was actively doing that.
At one of the games that I ran lines for, you could smell the gin from
five feet away.
It will remain a problem in football because you are dealing with a
legal drug.