A Nottinghamshire footballer has been banned from playing for six years after assaulting a referee. The Nottinghamshire FA described the incident, which took place in October last year, as a traumatic event for the referee and those involved.
Its disciplinary panel found the player guilty of two charges; assault or attempted assault of a match official and threatening language or behaviour towards a match official. The FA said it was supporting the referee to return to the field of play.
It did not disclose the identity of the individual involved or location of the incident, but said the referee received support from coaches and officials present at the game. Nottinghamshire FA referee development officer Liam Brown said: “Firstly, this was a traumatic event for the referee and those involved, but all parties are satisfied by the outcome of the hearing, and we believe this sends out a strong message to the football community that referee abuse is being tackled head on in Nottinghamshire.
"The County FA has been working hard over the past 18 months to increase referee numbers in our county and we are proud of the support network we have created and continue to develop for all referees. The result of the hearing shows the importance of the support network and the value in reporting incidents into the County FA.”
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