An English referee, David McNamara, has been suspended for 21 days by the Football Association for forgetting the coin which was to be used for a toss to decide the kickoff of a game in the Women’s Super League.
McNamara forgot the coin in the dressing room before Manchester City’s home game against Reading on October 26, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
The referee instead used rocks, paper, scissors as instruments for the toss.
Joanna Stimpson, the Football Association women’s refereeing manager, said McNamara’s act was a “moment of madness”, adding that such incident depicted the referee as unprepared for such a game.
“The referee forgot his coin and in that moment, in a TV game, he was really pushed for time.
“He should have been more prepared, he should have had a coin. It was disappointing, it’s not appropriate, it’s very unprofessional”, Stimpson told the Times.
The FA said McNamara, who also officiates in the English Football League, EFL, has “accepted a charge of ‘not acting in the best interests of the game.”
An FA spokesperson said: “The FA can confirm that referee David McNamara has been suspended for 21 days, starting from Monday 26 November, after accepting a charge of ‘not acting in the best interests of the game’.
“This follows an incident in the FA WSL match between Manchester City and Reading on Friday 26 October when he failed to determine which team would kick off the match by the toss of a coin, as required by the Laws of the Game.”
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