Following an incident during a game in Nottinghamshire last year, a six-year ban was imposed by a disciplinary panel.

The panel reached the decision following a disciplinary procedure which found the following two charges proven against the player:
   

• Assault or attempted assault of a match official
• Threatening language or behaviour towards a match official
  

On the day of the incident, the referee received support from the Referee Development Officer, referee match day coach and league officials present at the game. Our RDO and Discipline team continued to support the referee with guidance on effective report writing and the discipline process. Upon the confirmation of charges, and hearing details the County FA continued to offer support to assist the referee returning to the field of play. 

Nottinghamshire FA RDO 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.”

If you require support with reporting misconduct, you can click the link below to view a step-by-step video guide.

Discipline Support - Nottinghamshire FA
    

Alternatively, you can speak to Kev Guise (k.guise@ntlworld.com) who provides support for referees with report writing and can be available to support referees in personal hearings. If you click here, you will find the various contacts available to Nottinghamshire referees for further support.