The Ref Stop

Darren Fletcher successful appeal

DJIC

Well-Known Member
The FA just can’t get their actions to match their words.

Darren Fletcher successfully appeals & his touchline ban is reduced from three matches to two matches & his fine reduced for abusing referee & 4O, including having to be held back by Man United staff members from getting at the match officials.

Making it more farcical is the 4O was correct in law to insist the bloodied player was not allowed back on to the field of play, so Fletcher’s rant was even less justified towards the MO’s but should have been directed towards MU medical team.

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You can help us protect the game
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When you do your part by reporting hate, we can do ours.

As a Match Official in charge of grassroots games, you’ll know how hate at matches can ruin the experience for others. Too often:

• Spectators abuse referees, players, coaches and other spectators.
• Players lose their focus and resort to bad language and behaviour.
• Too many people just stand by, do nothing and let it happen.

We’re asking you and everyone in grassroots football – including players, spectators and coaches – to report racist, sexist, homophobic, violent and abusive behaviour to us every time it happens.

Only when we know it’s happened can we take the tough action needed to remove hate, with sanctions that include:

• Deducting points
• Banning players
• Even closing grounds
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The Ref Stop
The FA just can’t get their actions to match their words.

Darren Fletcher successfully appeals & his touchline ban is reduced from three matches to two matches & his fine reduced for abusing referee & 4O, including having to be held back by Man United staff members from getting at the match officials.

Making it more farcical is the 4O was correct in law to insist the bloodied player was not allowed back on to the field of play, so Fletcher’s rant was even less justified towards the MO’s but should have been directed towards MU medical team.

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mail

[td]
You can help us protect the game

[/td]
[td]
When you do your part by reporting hate, we can do ours.

As a Match Official in charge of grassroots games, you’ll know how hate at matches can ruin the experience for others. Too often:

• Spectators abuse referees, players, coaches and other spectators.
• Players lose their focus and resort to bad language and behaviour.
• Too many people just stand by, do nothing and let it happen.

We’re asking you and everyone in grassroots football – including players, spectators and coaches – to report racist, sexist, homophobic, violent and abusive behaviour to us every time it happens.

Only when we know it’s happened can we take the tough action needed to remove hate, with sanctions that include:

• Deducting points
• Banning players
• Even closing grounds

[/td]​

Yes, this sort of thing is laughable on an ever recurring basis
Now I'm one that doesn't want the game sanitised too much. Indeed it's cost me in observations as I've failed to lower my tolerance to meet the expectation of the FA's behaviour charter over the last season and a half, but it's farcical that we're expected to sort the problem out at grass roots in the absence of equivalent precedent being set in the Pro game

The Behaviour Charter will come to pass just like the Respect Campaign without any material progress
Yes, they can flash inconsequential Yellows for dissent, but they can't or won't get tough on the more serious behavioural issues on TV
So our effort to hassle the death out of TA occupants for excessive standing and the like is all a waste of time
 
The Mirror has misreported as it was not The FA reducing the sanction. It is an independent Appeal Board. The FA makes the disciplinary regulations and forms one side of the appeal proceedings, with Fletcher forming the other side in this case. The appeal board decides whether the rules were applied correctly in the original decision of the Regulatory Commission. The written reasons are here https://www.thefa.com/-/media/files...the-fa---appeal-board---22-november-2024.ashx

In summary the sanction has been reduced because in the Appeal Board's opinion the Regulatory Commission acted unreasonably by failing to take into mitigation Fletcher's admission of the charges at the first opportunity, his apology for his behaviour and statement he will learn from it and conduct himself appropriately in future.
 
The Mirror has misreported as it was not The FA reducing the sanction. It is an independent Appeal Board. The FA makes the disciplinary regulations and forms one side of the appeal proceedings, with Fletcher forming the other side in this case. The appeal board decides whether the rules were applied correctly in the original decision of the Regulatory Commission. The written reasons are here https://www.thefa.com/-/media/files...the-fa---appeal-board---22-november-2024.ashx

In summary the sanction has been reduced because in the Appeal Board's opinion the Regulatory Commission acted unreasonably by failing to take into mitigation Fletcher's admission of the charges at the first opportunity, his apology for his behaviour and statement he will learn from it and conduct himself appropriately in future.
That last paragraph is so bad. Not that you posted it, but that the board reduced the penalty based on the guilty party saying, “sorry won’t happen again”.

Of course it will happen again! You know what will keep it from happening again? Making the guilty party serve the full suspension.
 
I would like them to have referenced that he had to be held back by MU staff. Would he have physically attacked the match officials?
 
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