The Football Association has published the full extent of the expletive-ridden verbal assault on referee Paul Tierney by Nottingham Forest coach Steven Reid following the controversial Premier League game with Liverpool earlier this month.
Reid has been given a two-match touchline ban and fined £5,000 for improper conduct and using abusive/and or insulting language towards Tierney after Darwin Nunez’s late winner at the City Ground.
He was found to have called Tierney a ‘c**t’ on three occasions, the first time resulting in a red card.
The vociferous reaction followed a complaint that the official had wrongly given Liverpool possession with a drop ball one minute and fifty seconds before the winning goal.
The written reasons submitted offer an insight into the level of abuse directed at the referee.
“Following the final whistle I was surrounded by members of Nottingham Forest’s substitutes and backroom staff on the field of play,” Tierney said in an Extraordinary Incident Report Form, given in evidence to an Independent Commission.
“One of those who approached me was Steven Reid (a coach of Nottingham Forest) who was not listed on the team sheet. He asked me about a decision and I said to him that I will speak to him inside and not outside on the field of play. He then continued to question me and I repeated that I would speak to him inside.
“He then said, ‘it’s the same every week, you c**t.’ I showed him the red card and then he said ‘I worked with you f**king lot every f**king week last season. It’s the same every f**king week you c**t’.
“He then continued to use the word f**k and called me a c**t on at least one more occasion [making that a minimum of 3 in total] as we were making our way off the field of play.”
Reid denied making the remark so many times, but the commission found the case proven.
Forest were fined £75,000 after admitting they failed to ensure players and technical area occupants did not behave in an improper way after the final whistle.
“Whilst the Regulatory Commission fully understand the context and the impact on the players in losing the fixture this was not accepted as justifying the admitted behaviours,” the commission ruled.
“It is not uncommon for there to be disputed decisions and last minute goals and this cannot be seen as legitimising participant misconduct.”
The charity Ref Support UK believes the relatively small fine handed to Reid reflects the culture of leniency applied at the highest level.
“The only ‘c’ word that could be worse than that directed at a referee would be ‘cheat’,” said Martin Cassidy, the Chief Executive and founder of the officials’ support group.
“My take on it is that the FA are moving forward with trying to impose appropriate punishments but they are a bit more lenient with the professional game.
“The FA are talking about points deductions for regular offenders, but I would like them to remove the word ‘regular’ from that and to create more of a deterrent.
“There is a big problem because there is a clear replication at grassroots level from what we see at the highest level of the game. I hope that in the-not-to distant future we see more suitable punishments for this level of abuse.”
Cassidy believes the players’ and managers’ unions should be taking a more proactive role in calling out their members’ behaviour.
“It’s been a long source of frustration. Where do the PFA (Professional Footballers Association) and LMA (League Managers’ Association) sit on this?
“Time and time again we see abuse getting worse, but the PFA and LMA say nothing. They sit on the sidelines metaphorically and physically and do nothing. It has reached a point where they need to do more to condemn and prevent this conduct.”
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