Gerald Ashby
Encyclopedia
Gerald R. Ashby was an English
former football
referee, who operated in the Football League
and the Premier League. He was an accountant
by profession, and was based in Worcester
.
referees was reduced to 45. This created five vacancies on the English allocation for the FIFA List in 1992, and he was one of the officials to be promoted. At the same time, he became a member of the new Premier League list.‡
His first match in the new League was the 2-1 home victory by Leeds United
over Wimbledon
at Elland Road
on August 15, 1992.
He only had three years as an international referee before he also reached FIFA's retirement age at the end of 1994. However, he was able to carry on in English football, and on May 20, 1995, at Wembley, he took charge of the FA Cup Final
between Everton
and Manchester United
. Everton won the match 1-0 via a headed goal by Paul Rideout
.
On March 24, 1997, during the Premier League match between Arsenal
and Liverpool
, Ashby awarded a penalty to the away side, despite there appearing to be no contact between Robbie Fowler
and the Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman
. Fowler was honest enough to admit that he had not been fouled, and pleaded with the official not to award the kick. However, Ashby ignored Fowler's appeal and insisted on awarding a penalty, and as a result Liverpool won the match 2-1. Arsène Wenger
, the Arsenal manager, was quoted as saying: "It was a great gesture by Fowler and I would like to give him an award for fair play. But if he got that I would also have to give the referee an award for stupidity."
He remained on the Premier League list until his retirement just over a year later, his final match, on May 3, 1998, seeing champions Arsenal beat Everton 4-0 at Highbury
. He then became a Premier League referees' assessor.
Gerald Ashby died of a heart attack in December 2001.¶
Print
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
former football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
referee, who operated in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
and the Premier League. He was an accountant
Accountant
An accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
by profession, and was based in Worcester
Worcester
The City of Worcester, commonly known as Worcester, , is a city and county town of Worcestershire in the West Midlands of England. Worcester is situated some southwest of Birmingham and north of Gloucester, and has an approximate population of 94,000 people. The River Severn runs through the...
.
Career
He became a Football League linesman in 1982, and three years later graduated to the referees' list at the age of thirty five.† His breakthrough came when the retirement age for FIFAFIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
referees was reduced to 45. This created five vacancies on the English allocation for the FIFA List in 1992, and he was one of the officials to be promoted. At the same time, he became a member of the new Premier League list.‡
His first match in the new League was the 2-1 home victory by Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
over Wimbledon
Wimbledon F.C.
Wimbledon Football Club was an English professional association football club from Wimbledon, south-west London. Founded in 1889 as Wimbledon Old Central Football Club, the club spent most of its history in amateur and semi-professional non-League football before being elected to the Football...
at Elland Road
Elland Road
Elland Road is an all-seater football stadium in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It has been the permanent residence of Leeds United A.F.C...
on August 15, 1992.
He only had three years as an international referee before he also reached FIFA's retirement age at the end of 1994. However, he was able to carry on in English football, and on May 20, 1995, at Wembley, he took charge of the FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final 1995
The 1995 FA Cup Final – the 50th Wembley FA Cup Final to be held since the Second World War – was contested between Everton and Manchester United on Saturday, 20 May 1995. Everton won the match 1–0 via a headed goal by Paul Rideout, after Graham Stuart's shot rebounded off the crossbar...
between Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
and Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
. Everton won the match 1-0 via a headed goal by Paul Rideout
Paul Rideout
Paul Rideout is a retired English professional football player who played in the 1980s and 1990s. He is a youth coach with Sporting Kansas City, heading their U-16, U-17 and U-18 teams.-Playing career:...
.
On March 24, 1997, during the Premier League match between Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
and Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
, Ashby awarded a penalty to the away side, despite there appearing to be no contact between Robbie Fowler
Robbie Fowler
Robert Bernard Fowler is an English footballer who is currently player/manager for Thai Premier League club Muangthong United....
and the Arsenal goalkeeper David Seaman
David Seaman
David Andrew Seaman MBE is a former English football goalkeeper who played for several clubs, most notably Arsenal. He retired from the game on 13 January 2004, following a recurring shoulder injury...
. Fowler was honest enough to admit that he had not been fouled, and pleaded with the official not to award the kick. However, Ashby ignored Fowler's appeal and insisted on awarding a penalty, and as a result Liverpool won the match 2-1. Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger, OBE is a French association football manager and former player, who has managed English Premier League side Arsenal since 1996...
, the Arsenal manager, was quoted as saying: "It was a great gesture by Fowler and I would like to give him an award for fair play. But if he got that I would also have to give the referee an award for stupidity."
He remained on the Premier League list until his retirement just over a year later, his final match, on May 3, 1998, seeing champions Arsenal beat Everton 4-0 at Highbury
Arsenal Stadium
Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, North London, which was the home ground of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006...
. He then became a Premier League referees' assessor.
Gerald Ashby died of a heart attack in December 2001.¶
- †Football League Handbooks, 1982-1984.
- ‡Rothmans Football Yearbooks, 1985-1998.
- 90 Minutes magazine, late 1991 (details of birthdate and profession)
- ¶Rothmans Football Yearbook, 2002–2003, p54 (notice of death), p956 (obituary)
External links
- Gerald Ashby Referee Statistics at soccerbase.com