DRFC Ryan fined for referee outburst

Doncaster Rovers chairman John Ryan has been hit with a fine and a warning about his future conduct.

Ryan received a £3000 fine plus costs at a personnel hearing in Manchester today after a hearing at the FA, following comments made about referee Mike Russell following the game with Portsmouth in April.

Rovers lost the game 4-3 after conceding two controversial goals in added time, a result that relegated Rovers from the championship.

Speaking after the game in the Yorkshire Post, Ryan commented, "The last time he was down here he gave two penalties against us against Southampton so he thought he`d do the right thing for Portsmouth and even things up," claimed Ryan.

"I thought all four goals were questionable. The third one was a definite handball and the fourth one was a definite handball. The first penalty looked outside the box to me. He gave a free-kick to start with and then changed his mind, I don`t know whether the linesman flagged.

"I thought the officials today were an absolute disgrace. First half okay, second half they absolutely slaughtered us.

"No-one cares if it`s little Donny Rovers. This referee knows my views about him, I`ll be speaking to the head of the referees and, as far as I`m concerned, he should retire or at least be suspended because that second half performance was the worst refereeing performance I`ve seen in 50 years of watching football and it sickens me.

"I don`t mind losing but it just sickens me because those guys tried so hard. I`m absolutely sickened to the core by the standard of refereeeing. I don`t mind going down, we can live with that, but I can`t live with referees favouring the big clubs because Portsmouth, despite being on the verge of liquidation, are still a big club.

"I think it is victimisation against the smaller clubs. I don`t think he gave a stuff today in the second half. The standard of refereeing is so bad that most of our games in the Championship in the four years we have been in there have been decided by refereeing decisions.

"It`s as bad as that. The Championship is very tight and all you need is a penalty - in this case two - to change things round.

"That was a game we should have won easily but the referee decided he was going to let Portsmouth win. I won`t use the words the fans used but I say it was a dereliction of duty today and Mike Russell should seriously consider retiring."
Ryan has been critical at the lack of decisions going Rovers way in their four years in the championship and he has continuously commented on the decisions going against the club, feeling that decisions have gone for the, 'so called bigger clubs.`

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