Footballer is sent off by mistake after referee ‘booked the wrong black man’ | UK News

A footballer was sent off at the weekend after the referee mistook him for another player on the pitch.

Lewisham Borough FC in south London said their player was given his marching orders after a case of ‘mistaken identity’ it has been claimed.

‘In real time, it appeared that there had been a case of ‘mistaken identity’.

‘The player shown a ‘second’ yellow card was playing in a similar position to another of our players who had been booked in the first half – both are young black men.

‘Despite the best efforts of our coaching staff and players to highlight this error to the referee, they were ignored and dismissed.

‘Our coaching staff were refused the courtesy of a pitch-side conversation with the referee that had been afforded to the opposition bench.

‘It was later confirmed by the match day referee assessor in attendance that the player shown a ‘second’ yellow card had not previously been cautioned.

‘After the match, the match day assessor spoke to the officials privately in their dressing room.

‘The tone and attitude of the referee towards our manager was markedly different after this conversation had taken place and the mistake had been highlighted to him by a third party.

‘The referee offered an apology for the decision and admitted there had been a case of ‘mistaken identity’.

‘While everybody in football can accept that mistakes happen, this should not be one of them.

‘No apology can change the fact that we were unfairly penalised and forced to play with 10 players for the remainder of the second half and the duration of extra time, with Lordswood going on to win the tie 5-3.

‘It also fails to address a number of questions about the decision-making process and the treatment of our staff and players by the officials.

‘Lewisham Borough CFC is a community club in a diverse part of southeast London and we pride ourselves upon being an inclusive club that embraces our entire community.

‘Our committee, fans, playing and coaching staff are a celebration of this diversity and our bench is heavily reflective of the community that we represent.

‘Staff, players and fans in attendance were left feeling that there was an element of unconscious bias in the way that they game was officiated and the incident managed. Football should be for everyone and no individual or group should feel that they have been treated differently because of their identity.

‘It is disappointing that this is the way that we have been made to feel, as a community club from a diverse area. We will be exploring all possible avenues to ensure the issues highlighted are properly addressed.

‘We do this in the hope that incidents like this are not repeated in the future and that no player or coach is subject to unfair treatment because of their identity.

‘We thank Lordwood FC for their support and wish them every success in the competition.’

When asked about the incident the Kent FA said: ‘We are aware of the situation.

‘Any issues will be thoroughly investigated and should there be any action this will be processed in line with FA rules and regulations. As this is an active situation, we have no further comment to make.’

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