Man, 24, arrested after referee ‘seriously assaulted’ during football match

The FA said the incident was one of two to have taken place in Lancashire last weekend.

05 October 2022

A man has been arrested on suspicion of serious assault of a football referee after an amateur match in Lancashire.

Wigan Police said in a statement the referee sustained “significant injuries” during a South Lancashire Counties league game of Platt Bridge FC against Wigan Rose.

A spokesperson for the force said: “A 24-year-old man has today (Wednesday 5 October 2022) been arrested on suspicion of the serious assault of a referee following the Platt Bridge v Wigan Rose Remembrance Cup game on Sunday 2 October 2022.”

According to LancsLive, Platt Bridge FC, which is in Division Four, tweeted a statement saying the club “does not condone any violence towards anyone in the football community”.

The FA said the incident was one of two to have taken place in Lancashire last weekend.

In a statement released on social media, it said: “We are aware of incidents of assault on a match official and a player during matches played this weekend in Lancashire.

“We have been very clear that all forms of anti-social behaviour, abuse and assaults on match officials and participants are completely unacceptable and we will not tolerate this in the game.

“We are investigating the incidents as a matter of urgency, working with Lancashire FA who are liaising with the police and supporting the match official and player affected.”