Updated at 16.31
A FORMER REFEREE in English football’s elite Premier League has admitted to going along with a request to deliberately book a player back in 2011.
Mark Halsey, who retired at the end of the 2012/13 season, told CNN Sport on Thursday:
“I had a player that asked me ‘would I caution him?’ They were playing on the Saturday, they had a midweek game. Then the following Saturday, they had a massive derby game.
“I was politely asked ‘would I caution him?’”
“I did. I asked him politely, I said listen: ‘When I give a decision against you next time, because I knew it would happen, because he was always getting cautioned anyway, just boot that ball 50 yards down the other end and I can then caution you for dissent.’
“He thanked me after the game.”
Former referee Mark Halsey recalls an incident when a player requested to be yellow carded. This is what happened next... https://t.co/0QtvGeHbzq #ENGBEL pic.twitter.com/g0sEk7eoEK
— CNN Sport (@cnnsport) June 28, 2018
Additional reporting by Paul Fennessy
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