Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Don't Comment about the Referee

The FA has tightened up the rules about what can be said by managers about referees before the start of matches.

"Clubs are being advised that any media comments by managers, players or any other club officials relating to appointed match officials prior to a fixture will no longer be allowed – such pre-match comments will be deemed improper and dealt with accordingly.

"Post-match comments in relation to match officials and incidents are still permitted provided they are not personal in their nature, imply bias or attack the integrity of the officials in charge of the match, or in any other respect bring the game into disrepute."

The FA have also said that they will toughen up on the harassment of match officials by players.