Referee banned over Liverpool and Steven Gerrard joke

[King Binny]

Imagine having referees like him officiating our matches...

Professional referee Mark Brown has been banned from officiating after he made inappropriate jokes about Liverpool and their captain Steven Gerrard.

The Championship ref is understood to have used Facebook to poke fun at the Reds’ midfielder and his side’s slim chances of winning the Premier League.

His boss, Mike Riley, has taken swift action – banning him for three weeks.

Brown is the latest sporting figure to have committed a social networking faux pas.

Former Liverpool winger Ryan Babel was fined £10,000 for uploading a mock-up of referee Howard Webb in a Man United shirt following the club’s FA Cup defeat in January.

It’s believed Babel’s case prompted the swift action.

A source was quoted in the Metro as saying: “Riley was taking drastic action as there are many ways for referees’ integrity to be called into question.

“If Babel posts a picture of Howard Webb in a Man U shirt, then we can’t have officials making comments and jokes about players.â€

Another Liverpool player, Paul Konchesky, has also fallen foul of social networks this season. After Liverpool fans criticised the defender’s performances, his mother Carol labelled Reds fans “Scouse scumâ€.

Konchesky was later shipped out on loan to Championship outfit Nottingham Forest.

 

[Fabio]

I love the fact a championship ref feels like he can mock our hopes and ability. He's on par with uriah rennie!

 

[HC]

The worlds gone mad.

Next they'll ban footballs in playgrounds due to h&s.

 

[Squiggles]

This is getting ridiculous.

They should never have set such an absurd precedent with the Babel fine, simply because it opens up a whole world of trivial, messy issues which the FA should have nothing to do with.

They should only intervene if the comments made are seriously inappropriate.

 

[TheBunnyman]

Anyone know what he actually said?

 

[Buddha]

[quote author=TheBunnyman link=topic=44356.msg1291449#msg1291449 date=1298666860]
Anyone know what he actually said?
[/quote]

I imagine he might.

 

[RolandG]

No actual quotes of what he said!

 

[themn]

How totally dumb is that prick ?

You'd never get our Sian being so very very stoopid.

 

[Judge Jules]

Some irony though, this guy being banned for having a pop at us by Mike Riley, United's favourite ref ever.