The Victorian Football community mourns a great loss, with the tragic passing of Hary Milas late yesterday.
Football Victoria sends its sincere and heartfelt condolences to Hary’s wife Anita, his children and the extended family.
Hary was a beloved member of our community, known for his compassion, warmth and infectious personality. A brilliant referee on the pitch, his communication style and positive demeanour led him to be universally respected by players, coaches and colleagues.
Hary commenced his referee career with Football Victoria in 1998 and provided 23 years of service to Victorian refereeing. He held many roles in the Central Referee Branch including Head Instructor, Branch Appointments Officer and Level 4 Coordinator.
In 2021, Hary was the Senior Referee Appointments Officer for the Central Branch. He contributed thousands of hours to helping young referees develop and would often spend his weekends and free time mentoring young officials, assisting them to get through their first games.
Along with being a fantastic referee, Hary was universally known for having an incredible passion for helping others. He combined his tangible skillset with this kindness and regularly supported community football events.
He championed many great causes including Victoria Police Soccer Team, Victorian Pride Football and the Reagan Milstein Foundation, but arguably he will be most fondly remembered in this space for his work at the Homeless World Cup.
On one particular occasion, during the 2008 Homeless World Cup in Melbourne, Hary was officiating a game between Russian and Croatia. During play, a Russian player committed a particularly hard foul that was worthy of instant dismissal. While most referees would charge in and brandish a red card high above their head, Hary made a snap decision to take a different approach. In an act of empathy, seeing as this may humiliate the player publicly, Hary chose a to tread delicately.
Realising the man had likely been through many hardships during his life, Hary quietly pulled the player aside and firmly but graciously administered the red card in a way that allowed the player to remain dignified.
After the match, the removed player sincerely thanked Hary for his approach, leading Hary to offer him his whistle as a memento of their encounter together. This touching moment led to the birth of the ‘Whistle of Hope’, an award which has been given to a selected player who has shown respect to the referee, teammates and opponents after each Homeless World Cup since.
The story of the Whistle of Hope is one of many that depicts Hary’s class and personality. After his first Homeless World Cup he joined the Homeless World Cup Referees Panel, where he continued to make a tremendous impact year after year.
Hary will be remembered fondly by the entire football community. From the Football Victoria staff, the Board of Directors and Executive, Vale Hary Milas, you will be sincerely missed.