Sunday 23 November 2008

Assault on Referee - Sat 22nd November

St. Andrews v Gedling MW -- EMCL

Not much detail other than these posts from the EMCL forum.

"St Andrews v Gedling Miners Welfare [ Abandoned ] Canal Street
Abandoned after 85 minutes, score 3-1, assault on referee
How very SAD ====Any one care to Comment "

"The worst thing I've ever seen at a football match (and I've been to 1000's)Fracas near end of game. Ref confers with linesman and calls one player over from each team and books them. Then calls over St Andrews No 12 and sends him off. No 12 puts his face up close to ref and says something, then turns away before swinging round and punching the ref with GREAT FORCE in the face. No 12 then jumps over fence and runs to dressing room. On arrival at door to dressing room decides he wants some more and turns round to head back onto pitch. One of St Andrews people stops him and pushes him into dressing room. Ref has been knocked out cold and is just lying on pitch. He is covered in blankets and given attention but it is a LONG time before he moves. Divided opinion amongst spectators and players, management etc. I heard one SICKENING comment that the ref had been asking for it! Several St Andrews players were saying how disgraceful it was and one said that he would not play with No 12 again."
"The referee Mr. Andy Parker has received a broken cheek bone and two breaks to his jaw and was kept overnight at the Leicester Royal Infirmary"

No idea of the identity of the no. 12, but if this is what actually happened, then he should get the full penalty of the law - assault / GBH / threatening behaviour etc... PLUS a lifetime ban from the game AT ALL LEVELS.

We all knock the officials every now and then, but however poor they are, we can't knock them out! Criticism is one thing -- assault and battery is on another, totally unacceptable, level completely. Whether the Ref is incompetent/useless/crap - he is still a human being...
I hope Mr. Parker is ok....I also hope he stays on as a Referee - no Refs, no game....

It will be interesting to see what action the League, the F.A and the police take against this individual - and no doubt the club will also suffer some form of punishment ....

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