Referee avoids red card after fighting with footballer on pitch
John Chalk and midfielder Carl Marton have been fined following the altercation shortly after half-time in a Saturday League clash.
The pair were involved in a verbal exchange before they ended up rolling around on the floor at the match between Scalby and Filey Town Reserves in Scarborough, prompting an FA inquiry.
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Hide AdScalby player Mr Marton said: “It was a bizarre situation. I just walked over to him after we’d had a verbal exchange and before I knew it we were on the ground.
“I had a bruised lip and it was swollen afterwards, I was just stunned by what had happened.”
The game was brought to a premature halt at just 52 minutes following the ensuing melee, as Filey led 5-2.
Both have now been fined £75 and warned as to their future conduct for bringing the game into disrepute, but avoided lengthy bans as the assault charges levelled at both of them were dropped.
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Hide AdFollowing the incident, Mr Chalk admitted his deep regret regarding his actions. He said: “You see it happen quite a lot with two players, but not with the ref. It just happened in half a second, it was just a moment of madness. It was just daft from both of us. Things just escalated.
“It’s sickened me to the pit of my stomach. I played football for years and always enjoyed a bit of banter on the pitch. I came into refereeing to give something back to the game. It’s an awful situation.”
Phil Perry, secretary for Scalby FC, said he was relieved Mr Marton has avoided further punishment.