A match between Old Malton St Mary’s FC and Malt Shovel FC of Selby was called off at half time, due to the referee finding faeces in his shoes and smeared on his shirt.
On April 19th Easter Sunday, league leaders Malt Shovel travelled to Malton for their away fixture in the York Football League Premier Division.
On the pitch things were going to plan, after 45 minutes played the Selby side were leading Malton 2-1.
Then going into half time the referee entered his private changing room for a drink, where he was met with what is assumed to be dog faeces, plopped on the inside of his trainers and smeared onto his top.
Fearing for his safety the referee abandoned the game, and it is unclear how and when the match will be rescheduled.
The incident was captured by @ljsmediauk and posted to his TikTok account, where it has already been viewed over three million times:
In the video you can see the referee after discovering his sodden shoes calling off the game, first half highlights, as well as a photo of the shoe in question at the end of the video.
Old Malton FC’s groundsman Adam Newell wrote on X:
“Well in all my days being involved with football I am mind blown as to the actions of some individuals.
“Our match was abandoned at halftime time as when the ref went into his changing rooms someone had 💩 (poo emoji) in his trainers.
“I seriously wonder the mentality of people.”
Old Malton’s goal came from a penalty. Leading some Malton fans to speculate when speaking to The York Mix that this may be a dirty protest, at what they viewed as a poor decision by the referee.
However Malt Shovel were in a winning position and this delayed match has made them lose their lead at the top of the table.
When contacted a spokesperson for Malt Shovel FC said: “The incident is under investigation by the football authorities and both clubs.”
The culprit is still unknown but if either club is found guilty they may be fined or docked points.
Although an extreme case, violations like this happen to referees up and down the country every weekend.
Advice on how to handle any abuse towards referees can be found on the FA’s website.
