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      Referee Darren Drysdale facing ban after he’s charged by FA over angry clash with Ipswich’s Alan Judge

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      REF Darren Drysdale faces an FA commission and likely ban – despite making a public apology to Ipswich midfielder Alan Judge.
      Lincolnshire whistler Drysdale, 49, was charged with improper conduct by Wembley disciplinary chiefs less than 24 hours after his angry clash with the Irishman.

      Darren Drysdale is facing a likely FA ban after being charged for clashing with Ipswich Town’s Alan JudgeCredit: © Richard Calver – www.matchdayimages.com

      Drysdale locked heads with Judge and then seemed to square up to him in the latter stages of the Portman Road clash against Northampton.
      The astonishing scenes saw Ipswich boss Paul Lambert demanding an investigation by the EFL and FA.
      SunSport understands that Drysdale’s performance was criticised by players on both sides throughout the game.
      But the referee is said to have flipped and used foul and abusive language when Judge insisted he had been brought down and not dived in a bid to win a spot kick.

      The Ipswich midfielder responded to the episode on Wednesday night and told his club’s website that Drysdale’s reaction did not upset him.
      Judge said: “Referees have a tough job to do and it was heat of the moment stuff that happens in football.
      “The photo makes it look worse than it was and to be honest, the matter was finished with from my end as soon as I walked off the pitch.
      “I wasn’t looking for the referee to apologise; I wasn’t looking for him to be charged. There was never going to be a complaint from me and I made that clear.

      As I said in this 👇. There was no need for an apology. I wasn’t looking for one or looking for any action to be taken. In football as everybody knows stuff happens in the heat of the moment in a game. We all make mistakes and for me that is the end of this https://t.co/ujQsF9lQ4N
      — alan judge (@10judgey) February 17, 2021

      “Like I said, for me – it was finished with straight away.”
      In a statement issued through the ref’s governing body PGMOL, Drysdale said: “I fully understand that it is important for us as referees to maintain our composure throughout the game and always engage with players in a professional manner.
      “I’m sorry that I did not do that and I can only apologise to Alan and Ipswich Town.”
      Aston Villa’s England internationals Tyrone Mings and Jack Grealish suggested the FA should let the issue blow over. 
      Mings Tweeted: “Everyone makes mistakes…..nothing to see here.”
      Grealish added: “Ah come on?! No need to apologise at all! I think it’s brilliant.”
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      But FA beaks had already opened a probe into the incident and Drysdale was charged with a breach of rule E3.
      However, in a twist, the case is being treated as neither “standard” – which would have seen a fixed sanction – nor “non-standard” because of circumstances.
      Instead, a commission will determine the next step if Judge accepts his guilt, as now seems likely, with a short ban of up to three games the anticipated punishment.

      FA rules do not allow a suspension before any hearing but it is expected PGMOL will take him off their officials’ list for this weekend pending the resolution of the case.
      The incident comes with the FA looking to scrap the current “maximum” 10-year ban for violence towards referees and allow life suspensions.
      The FA insists grassroots officials have not been put off by incidents of violence and abuse but is keen to ensure younger referees remain convinced they can progress through to the highest levels of the game.

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      Inside the crazy world of parent-agents demanding their sons are guaranteed minutes – and even new houses

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      A TEENAGER met officials of a Premier League club this season over the offer of a new contract.
      The player’s father was happy for his son to put pen to paper — just as long as they inserted a clause guaranteeing he played a certain number of minutes in each first-team match.

      Kevin De Bruyne is one star doing things differently in negotiations over his new contractCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      You will not be surprised to learn that stunned club chiefs refused the ludicrous demand.
      Welcome to the weird and wacky world of football which, behind the scenes, is more chaotic than it has ever been.
      Many clubs — and fans — will not be sorry to see the potential demise of some agents.
      But equally, the new normal is proving to be even crazier.

      I’m told that it’s not unheard of for parents to demand a new house for themselves if their 16-year-old makes the first team.
      At the top of the game, football is changing beyond all recognition.
      An increasing number of Prem stars are employing their brothers in advisory or managerial roles.
      These include Dele Alli, Trent Alexander- Arnold, Harry Kane, Callum-Hudson Odoi, Marcus Rashford and Danny Welbeck.

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      Mason Greenwood is being represented by his father.
      Raheem Sterling has parted with his long-time agent and his affairs are now being handled by lawyers.
      His City team-mate Kevin De Bruyne has brought in a lawyer to assist in new contract negotiations.
      For intelligent men, such as Sterling and De Bruyne, this could work out without too many problems but for other players it could be a risk.
      But going alone with expert advice has its pitfalls. Despite the criticism they attract, agents do have contacts at other clubs if a player needs to find another team.
      Agents also have knowledge of how payment structures, bonus systems and loyalty payments work at football clubs.

      Mason Greenwood has this week agreed a new Manchester United contractCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      Equally, some dodgy agents have taken advantage and given players poor advice and moved them to an unsuitable club.
      Somewhere, there is a middle ground.
      The best solution is for a young player to be helped by a family member while also working with an agent.
      At the moment, the situation will get worse before it improves.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds

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      Fans could attend FA Cup and Carabao Cup finals at Wembley with FA hoping to have 27k supporters at Euro 2020 games

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      FANS could be allowed in to watch the two domestic cup finals – in a trial to help ensure supporters for Euro 2020.
      The FA is determined to open up some of the Wembley turnstiles for the seven games due to be played in the stadium during the tournament in June and July.

      Scenes of fans spaced out across Wembley Stadium may be welcomed back in the springCredit: Graham Hughes – The Times

      And that could see up to 10,000 supporters in for the April 29 Carabao Cup final between Manchester City and Spurs and the FA Cup final the following month.
      Both events would be staging posts towards the summer, with the FA hoping to be able to fill 30 per cent of Wembley’s 90,000 capacity by the Euros.
      FA chiefs are part of the Government’s Sports Technology Innovation Group, headed by Carphone Warehouse founder David Ross.
      Discussions over the past year have included concepts such as digital Covid passports for spectators, with football bosses signalling their willingness to act as “guinea pigs” for the safe re-opening of the country.

      And even getting reduced numbers in to Wembley in the spring would be a huge staging post in the right direction.
      Expectations of a lifting of Covid restrictions in the coming weeks will make the possibility of reopening turnstiles more realistic, although there is no expectation of fans being back in Prem grounds before next season.
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      The FA is understood to have told Uefa it hopes to be able to allow in around 27,000 – representing 30 per cent of capacity – for the Euros, although Wembley will still be used to hold matches if no supporters are allowed in.

      That would be part of a gradual easing of crowd restrictions at other sporting events, including Test cricket, Wimbledon and summer horse racing events like the Derby.
      Government approval would be required for all such measures but trials for the two finals would also allow sports governing bodies to judge the ease and efficiency of entry regulations which could be rolled out across other events.

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      Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter chief Jack Dorsey called out by football chiefs to end abuse on social media

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      ENGLISH football has united to demand social media giants stop talking and start acting to root out online abuse.
      In a direct and no punches pulled message to Twitter chief Jack Dorsey and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, representatives of all areas of the game came together in an open letter to tell the companies that ‘basic human decency’ required intervention.

      Football chiefs have penned a joint letter to social media giants including Facebook’s Mark ZuckerbergCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      Twitter boss Jack Dorsey is the other recipient of the letterCredit: Reuters

      Recent weeks have seen players including Anthony Martial, Axel Tuanzebe, Reece James, Romaine Sawyers and Lauren James subjected to vile racist abuse.
      And referee Mike Dean will not work this weekend following online death threats posted to his family.
      The damning letter was signed by FA chief Mark Bullingham, Prem boss Richard Masters, Gordon Taylor, EFL chief exec Trevor Birch, womens’ game leader Kelly Simmons, the LMA’s Richard Bevan, Mike Riley and Sanjay Bhandari of Kick It Out.
      It said: “The language used is debasing, often threatening and illegal.

      “It causes distress to the recipients and the vast majority of people who abhor racism, sexism and discrimination of any kind.
      “We have had many meetings with your executives over the years but the reality is your platforms remain havens for abuse.
      “Your inaction has created the belief in the minds of the anonymous perpetrators that they are beyond reach.”
      Players are understood to be considering a boycott of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram as a sign of their growing anger and indignation.

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      And Edleen John, the FA director in charge of equality, diversity and inclusion, explained: “The companies must be able to create an algorithm which filters and blocks this abuse.
      “There must also be a swift takedown of anything they see that could be abusive or deemed abusive.
      “Users need to be verified. We have keyboard warriors sitting at home, typing whatever they want, and nobody is able to trace them or where they are.
      “I don’t believe these social media companies are unable to do that. If there is anybody who can find that information, it’s going to be a massive tech company.
      “We’ve been talking for 18 months. It seems there isn’t that impetus or momentum in the social media companies to address this.
      “It shouldn’t take 18 months to build an algorithm for them to be able to stop some of the stuff that’s happening.”
      ‘THEY’RE NOT READY TO MAKE THAT CHANGE’
      Twitter and Facebook both responded by insisting they were taking the issue seriously, in the wake of Government threats to levy fines of 10 per cent of their global earnings if the abuse continued.
      A Twitter spokesperson said: “There is no room for racist abuse on Twitter and we are resolute in our commitment to ensure the football conversation on our service is safe for fans, players and everyone involved in the game.
      “We strongly condemn this behaviour and will continue to take swift action on the minority that try to undermine the conversation for the majority.”
      Facebook added: “We don’t want hate and racism on our platforms and remove it when we find it.”
      But John added: “The discussions are always around ‘well, you know, we can’t look at things like emojis, because you have to think of context’.
      “If you are talking about a black person receiving a banana or a monkey, I’m not sure any further context or explanation is needed.
      “And if you can build a robot to vacuum your house you must be able to create an AI mechanism that can see words, emojis and pictures and filter them.
      “The only conclusion you can draw is they’re not ready to make that change and they don’t want to because they are more interested in driving people to the platforms.”
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds

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      Premier League, FA and football authorities hold first serious all-party meeting to combat wave of vile online abuse

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      FOOTBALL authorities have held their first serious all-party meeting with social media giants to combat online hate as Anton Ferdinand demanded they be held to account.
      Anti-racism leaders Kick It Out convened the gathering of the game’s senior organisations.

      Kick It Out chairman Sanjay Bhandari has described the ‘culture of impunity’ behind online hateCredit: PA:Press Association

      Former Premier League defender Anton Ferdinand addressed today’s meetingCredit: PA:Press Association

      Facebook and Twitter were invited to the talk alongside the Premier League, PFA, FA, EFL and LMA.
      Former West Ham defender Ferdinand told the meeting: “As footballers we are held accountable for our actions all the time – why aren’t the people that are sending abuse, and the social media platforms, held to account too?
      “I had no escape from being racially abused, whether that was on the streets or social media.
      “The ripple effect the abuse had on me and my family, I wouldn’t want anyone else to experience that.”

      The social media companies agreed to take steps to ensure a zero tolerance policy on online hate and abuse.
      As part of a set of “common principles” the parties confirmed that “discrimination, hate and abuse towards those who play, support or work in the game is totally unacceptable”.
      That includes “real-world consequences” for those who use online platforms to spread abuse with the determination to make perpetrators be “accountable for their actions”.
      Outside bodies involved were UK Football Policing Unit, Women in Football, Crown Prosecution Service, Home Office and Sky, with further meetings to be held every two months.

      Online discriminatory abuse is unacceptable and tackling this issue must be a priority for football and social media companies.
      Richard MastersPremier League Chief Exec

      Kick it Out chairman Sanjay Bhandari said: “Online hate thrives because there is a culture of impunity.
      “People feel free to say what they want because they are confident there will be no consequences. That must change.”
      Prem chief executive Richard Masters added: “Online discriminatory abuse is unacceptable and tackling this issue must be a priority for football and social media companies.
      “Sadly, there are too many instances of footballers and their families receiving horrific discriminatory messages and nobody should have to deal with this.
      “The Premier League welcomes this initiative as a means of persuading social media companies to remove offensive material swiftly and help the Premier League and law enforcement bodies identify perpetrators.”
      Twitter and Facebook appear to recognise their responsibilities.

      Between June and September last year were able to find 95% of the hate speech content and removed it before anyone reported it.
      Jerry NewmanFacebook

      Facebook’s Jerry Newman said: “We don’t want racism or any type of hate speech on Facebook or Instagram.
      “Over the last few years, we’ve tripled the size of our safety and security team and between June and September last year were able to find 95 per cent of the hate speech content and removed it before anyone reported it. We won’t stop there.”
      Katy Minshall of Twitter added: “Racist behaviour has no place on Twitter and we strongly condemn it.
      “We continue to collaborate closely with our partners in football to identify ways to tackle this issue collectively.”

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      Premier League to introduce concussion subs from NEXT WEEK but FA Cup delayed after worrying head injuries this season

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      CONCUSSION substitutes will be allowed in the Premier League from NEXT week.
      But Wembley chiefs will not introduce the measure into the FA Cup until the fifth round.

      David Luiz playing on after a heavy blow against Wolves in November emphasised calls for concussions substitutesCredit: AFP or licensors

      FA chief executive Mark Bullingham and Prem counterpart Richard Masters were keen for English football to trial the measure after it was approved by Fifa and lawmakers Ifab last month.
      They needed Ifab approval, which was delayed by the festive break, to bring the new temporary Law into the English game.
      That has now been granted and Prem clubs will formally back the measure at tomorrow’s virtual ‘shareholder’ meeting, to come into effect from the upcoming full midweek programme next week.
      Under the new Laws, each team will be allowed two permanent concussion substitutes if players have head injuries, assessed by qualified medics.

      But to avoid potential ‘gaming’ by cynical managers seeking to take advantage of the new Laws, the opposing coach will also be allowed to make extra substitutions on top of the standard three changes.
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      The FA led the call for the Law to be brought in after growing increasingly concerned at links between football and dementia.
      Wembley bosses had wanted to introduce it from the third round stage of the FA Cup.

      But guidelines and requirements for all clubs in competitions using the Law to have full-time medical officers and the short timespan mean it will not be brought in this weekend although it should be for the fifth round next month.

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      FA put pressure on England teams and demand World Cup or Euro WIN by 2024 in ambitious target over next three years

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      THE FA now wants England to WIN a major tournament by 2024.
      Nearly a decade after former Wembley chairman Greg Dyke set the 2022 World Cup as the prime target for the Three Lions, the latest official aims of the governing body show a slippage in that timeframe.

      England men’s manager Gareth Southgate has two Euros and a World Cup within the timeframe the FA want to see a major tournament wonCredit: EPA

      Current Holland women’s boss Sarina Wiegman will succeed Phil Neville in charge of the Lionesses from September this year Credit: Getty Images – Getty

      Instead, the FA believes England should be seeking to win a major tournament, by either the men’s or women’s teams, over the next THREE seasons.
      That period includes two European Championships and a World Cup for the men’s team, and the delayed Euros and 2023 World Cup for the Lionesses.
      The targets are included in the FA’s “Game Changer” strategy objectives.
      Explaining the targets, the FA said: “International tournament success will be transformational for English football and inspirational for millions of boys and girls.

      “To achieve our ambition by 2024, we’ll strive to deliver the best possible international team operations, coaching and development environment at St. George’s Park.
      “We will continue to work with our partners in the game to enhance a talent pathway that gives players the best development opportunities, and foster an inclusive and empowering culture among winning England teams.”

      The other aspirations set  by the FA include establishing a new digital platform for the grassroots game and ensuring equal opportunities for girls.

      A target of 5,000 “good quality” artificial and natural pitches is also in the list, along with a discrimination-free sport and plans to maximise the appeal and revenue of the FA Cup and Women’s Super League.
      But the FA recognises that the Covid-19 pandemic has altered the landscape, on top of evolving situations that remain critical.
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      It added: “The future structure of the professional club game, both domestically and internationally, is in flux.
      “The linear broadcast market is widely expected to have peaked and the technology that underpins the administration of the game in England is creaking and needs replacing. 
      “The ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement prompted us to self-reflect and acknowledge, like many other institutions in society, that we can do even more to tackle discrimination.”

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      FA Cup giant-killers Chorley and Crawley ordered to NOT repeat wild celebrations if they win next tie over Covid fears

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      GIANTKILLERS Chorley and Crawley have been urged to not repeat their FA Cup dressing room celebrations.
      The non-leaguers greeted their win over Derby with a linked-arms and maskless chorus of their adopted anthem, Adele’s “Someone Like You”.

      Crawley stunned Leeds to reach the fourth roundCredit: Rex Features

      Chorley beat an under strength DerbyCredit: Twitter @chorleyfc

      And League Two Crawley were equally joyful in their changing room after destroying Leeds on Sunday.
      But while the FA recognises there was nothing malicious or wrong in the players enjoying their moment, Wembley chiefs are under pressure to ensure Covid protocols are followed by all clubs.
      Advice was sent to all competing clubs ahead of the third round weekend, with the teams told they were under scrutiny to comply with taking measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
      But the emotion of the victories saw the two giantkillers ignore those regulations.

      And that means a further letter will be sent to all clubs, including the weekend heroes, to remind them of the need to stick to the Covid rules.
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      The FA, though, is powerless to do anything about the street scenes around Tottenham’s game at Marine, which saw hundreds of fans massing to greet the team coaches.
      That is purely a police matter and it was united that Merseyside officers did not attempt to disperse the supporters on the streets of Crosby.

      Chorley were handed a home tie against Premier League outfit Wolves in the fourth round.
      Meanwhile, Crawley travel to Championship high-flyers Bournemouth.

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