FA pressured referee Lee Mason to doctor match report
The farce which is Rooney’s ban takes a new twist
It has come to light that match referee Lee Mason was put under pressure to write a report that would enable the FA to charge the Manchester United striker.
An online article on mirrorfootball.co.uk stated:
Wayne Rooney’s swearing ban has sparked a revolt among Premier League referees.
In a bizarre new twist, they claim match official Lee Mason was put under pressure to write a report that would enable the FA to charge the Manchester United striker.
Mason’s admission he would have sent off the England star for swearing at a TV camera after scoring against West Ham had he been aware of the incident, was the spark for Rooney to be charged.
The two-match ban which followed was upheld yesterday and Rooney says he is “gutted” to be missing the Premier League game with Fulham and FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City.
There is anger among Mason’s refereeing colleagues who insist he was ‘used’ by the FA who wanted Rooney to be charged – but wanted the referee to review his decision and come up with the conclusion that led to a ban.
A source close to the row said: “Lee should not have been put on the spot like this. If the FA wanted to ban Rooney they should have done it themselves.
“There is no way one of the senior refs would have sent him off for that or said they would when they reviewed it. Lee was put in a terrible position.
“This has caused real anger. There has not been a reaction like it before. We all feel for him and think he should have been protected – not hung out to dry.”
Senior refs felt that the FA should have simply charged Rooney rather than put the onus on the match official and have complained to their chief Mike Riley that he should have offered more protection to Mason.