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A former Premier League referee Rodger Gifford, has been banned for five months by the Football Association after making a racist comment to a black official after a game.
On Friday, it was revealed that Rodger Gifford, ceased working as a referee observer for the refereeing body PGMOL in January, during the early stages of an FA investigation into his comments.
The incident occurred in a post-match debrief following an FA Cup second-round game between Newport County and Barnet in December 2023.
According to BBC, Gifford was unanimously proven by an independent regulatory commission to have used “abusive and/or insulting and/or improper” language which included “a reference, whether express or implied, to color and/or race and/or ethnic region.”
The match referee, assistant and two other officials gave witness statements in the case. FA also imposed him with a £400 fine and ordered him to attend an education course.
“His submissions that his comments were in some way light-hearted designed to reflect [the assistant referee coach’s] personality were not accepted”, said the independent regulatory commission.
“It is evident that the comments made by Mr. Gifford included a reference to race. It is difficult to reconcile Mr. Gifford’s position. He held a position of trust and responsibility withing PGMOL. There is no place in the game, or society, for comments of this nature. There is no other option.”
Gifford had admitted to a similar breach in 2022, and was suspended for eight weeks. He was also fined £200 and ordered to take an education course. Reports says Gifford has now been dismissed from PGMOL role following his ban.
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