Some people may hear the term "bent owner". In English slang the meaning of "bent" is to be dishonest. A dishonest owner.
This is not a reflection on the referee himself. Mr Toner merely has an unfortunate name that can be used to imply that a club owner is dishonest or corrupt. Recently, the owners of Blackpool were found guilty in the high court of "illegally stripping" the club of assets, and people have noticed this funny association.
Interestingly, the PGMOL decided to remove Ben Toner from the Blackpool vs Portmouth League One match and replace him with EPL referee Jon Moss. They cited that the reason for this was NOT because of the referee's name at the match, but because the match itself had become higher profile due to the high court's verdict. In the end, the third-tier match had an attendance of 5,032 and very little media coverage.
Perhaps Ben Toner should amend his name to Benjamin Toner or Benny Toner? Would that help?
Take home message: If you are a referee and you also have a funny name, you may need to think
about changing your name. Does anyone know any funny referee names?
There is a player in Hong Kong who is called "Linesman". Imagine the reaction of the match officials, when Lineman's teammates call his name!!
• Jon Moss takes over at Bloomfield Road due to ‘increased attention’
• Ben Toner’s name caused amusement following ruling against Oystons
The referee Ben Toner has been taken off Blackpool’s League One
match against Portsmouth, days after the majority owner, the Oystons,
were found by a high court judge to have operated an “illegitimate
stripping” of the Lancashire club.
After discussions between the EFL and PGMOL, the referees’
association, it was decided Toner should be replaced by Jon Moss, one of
the elite Premier League officials. As the body that appoints all match
officials it was the PGMOL rather than the EFL which made the choice.
An EFL spokesman said: “As a result of the increased attention
surrounding this weekend’s League One fixture between Blackpool and
Portsmouth, PGMOL [Professional Game Match Officials Limited] has
determined it would be appropriate for a select group 1 referee to take
charge of proceedings at Bloomfield Road.
Published:
10:03 BST, 29 June 2017
| Updated:
11:20 BST, 29 June 2017
It has
been a long time since Paul Scholes, Gary and Phil Neville, Ryan Giggs
and Nicky Butt needed public transport to arrive at a match they were
playing in.
But out in Hong Kong, the quintet used the metro to head to a veterans five-a-side match.
The Manchester United
legends may have called time on their professional playing careers but
they still pose quite the threat as a five-a-side combination.
Phil Neville is in Hong Kong with Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Nicky Butt and brother Gary
The players were given a warm welcome from the United supporters in Hong Kong
The five United legends have headed to Hong Kong for a five-a-side veterans match
Phil
Neville shared a picture on his Instagram account of the group heading
out on their travels, captioning the image 'Road trip with these
guys!!!'
And he tweeted the welcome
they had, with fans lining up to catch a glimpse of their heroes donning
United attire and waving flags.
And
his older brother Gary shared some pictures of t-shirts that they had
been presented with, featuring caricatures of each player on the front.
He seemed a little underwhelmed with his own t-shirt, writing 'not nice' alongside the post he uploaded on Instagram.
But
overall, he seemed to be very much enjoying his time in Asia. Neville
later published a picture of an impressive view from what he said is the
'tallest bar in the world, apparently'.
That
venue would be the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong hotel, where the cocktail bar
is on the 118th floor and 1,608 feet above sea level.
Neville also visited 'the tallest bar in the world' - the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong hotel
Sad and shocking news about the death of Ivory Coast player Cheick Tiote, who passed away on Monday 5th June at the age of 30 whilst training with his club Beijing Enterprises (Beijing BG FC).
Many tributes and articles have been shared about this popular and friendly man, father, husband, son, colleague and friend.
Supporters could not believe how good the holding midfield player was
and he quickly became a fans' favourite, earning the nickname 'Mr T'
because of his mohawk hairstyle and no-nonsense approach. Indeed, he was
booked 56 times and sent off twice [in 156 appearances for Newcastle]. That, though, was part of his
popularity, the cards a byproduct of his commitment. At a club like
Newcastle, that counted for a lot among fans.
From a referee's perspective, Tiote was a hard no-holds-bar midfield player but also fair (giving as good as he receives, without complaining). In 2012, Mike Dean chose to talk with the then 25-year-old Newcastle player in the hope that he would listen and avoid a caution or two (see Mike Dean Masterclass Display). Although a thoroughly nice guy off the pitch, on the pitch Tiote was always close to getting cautions with his challenges.
I cringe every time there is a friendly match (like a charity match, a testimonial, or high-profile celebrity kickabout) because the safety of players is usually overlooked. The recent FIFA Legends match is another example of this. Players NEVER wear SHIN GUARDS. The article below makes a song-and-dance about the availability (or lack) of defibrillators, while overlooking the simple act of not wearing protective shin pads. FIFA's medical chief may criticise his organisation's lack of available defibrillators but not all stadia or sports clubs are rich enough to afford such specialized equipment. Shin guards, on the other hand (or foot!), are affordable to all players.
Published:
22:47 GMT, 9 January 2017
| Updated:
22:47 GMT, 9 January 2017
FIFA's
medical chief has slammed world football's ruling body for staging
Legends matches at their own headquarters in Zurich without a pitchside
defibrillator.
Belgium's
FIFA council member Michel D'Hooghe was visibly angry at the lack of
emergency medical equipment on the touchline for the tournament held at
FIFA House, especially considering the ages and physical shape of those
playing — notably Diego Maradona, 56, once the world's greatest player.
Along
with Maradona, the former stars taking part included Spain's Carles
Puyol and Michel Salgado, South Africa's Lucas Radebe, Argentina's
Gabriel Batistuta and Croatia's Zvonimir Boban, now FIFA deputy
secretary general.
Diego Maradona took part in a FIFA Legends match ahead of the awards ceremony in Zurich
The Argentine legend played alongside FIFA president Gianni Infantino and England full back Alex Scott
They were joined by a number of top football administrators led by FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Other
suits on the pitch were CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani, Brazil
football chief Fernando Sarney, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and
America's Sunil Gulati.
There were two defibrillators, used to revive heart-attack victims, stored nearby in the offices and the gym.
But
D'Hooghe, chairman of FIFA's medical committee, said: 'FIFA are not
setting a good example. The equipment should be ready for use beside the
pitch, not in the building. The first three minutes are the most
important in the event of the heart stopping.
'And this is a dangerous day, with many of the legends and the football officials not being particularly fit. It's high risk.'
“The best referee is one who has the courage to make decisions even when it would be easier not to.” — Pierluigi Collina.
This blog agrees with Collina's definition and therefore advocates optimum officiating for the good of the game. A good game is fair, safe and enjoyable, with the Referee playing a part.
NOTE: Time and effort is used to post match analyses and observations here so that other Referees can learn from the mistakes {and successes} of high-profile Referees. Please use the content presented here and take heed of the following quote: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." — George Santayana.
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