Saw this on another board. Ouch. [ame="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8vsrg_mike-dean-hit-by-coin_sport"]Dailymotion - Mike Dean Hit By Coin, a video from CaptainSneddon. Mike, Dean@@AMEPARAM@@http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/x8vsrg@@AMEPARAM@@x8vsrg[/ame] One of my peers was hit in the back of his head with a bottle at a men's amateur game I was not at. Let the stories of Spectator vs Referee contact ensue...
that is incredibly disheartening. you can tell after he gets through with all of the pain, he is just frustrated. no matter what the call, he gets attacked in an un-defendable manner. it really makes you think twice about why you're out there..
I am impressed by his poise under pressure. I tip my hat to him. I hope they find out who did this and arrest him or her.
That's awful. That gives those "Respect" ads that the FA is running more meaning. I've never been assaulted, but I have been threatened (parent brandishing a knife and stepping onto the pitch - you can imagine how quickly that game ended...). It's a horrible situation and it definitely does make you think twice about your reasons for being out there...
This was discussed on socref-L. Here is a SI article and PGMOL statement that were linked to: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/soccer/04/05/referee.coin.ap/index.html http://www.refworld.com/News/2/article/4242/0 They did find the culprit, the police have him throwing the coin on CCTV. I understand he has been banned for life from FA games, and criminal charges will be filed. In addition, the Welsh football association is considering sanctions against Cardiff - this individual was not alone in throwing missiles at the field.
Good and good. As the commentators said, there is a line that should not be crossed. Hard to imagine having to deal with this on the field.
Truly a horrible act of stupidity. But I have to applaud the player from Swansea who seems to have taken control of the situation and brought help for the referee.
I've had my share of intimidation attempts in club soccer (far too many boys' sides' coaches and most parents/fans are atrocious, really ugly) but I've never been physically assaulted on or off the pitch. Mike Dean has my utmost respect for handling it so calmly.
There appears to have been some question over identification, the accused claimed he threw chewing gum but not the coin, and the sentence doesn't seem very heavy, reflecting a reduced charge: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/apr/20/supporter-banned-cardiff-city-swansea-missile I couldn't find any updates on sanctions brought by the FAW against Cardiff City.