John Lewis (referee)
Encyclopedia
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...
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...
player, administrator and referee. He was born at Market Drayton
Market Drayton
Market Drayton is a small market town in north Shropshire, England. It is on the River Tern, between Shrewsbury and Stoke-on-Trent, and was formerly known as "Drayton in Hales" and earlier simply as "Drayton" ....
, Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
, but lived most of his life in Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
and was primarily associated with Blackburn Rovers F.C
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
. He was a leading referee from the earliest days of organised football, and when well into his 60s officiated in the Gold medal match of the 1920 Olympic Games
1920 Summer Olympics
The 1920 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event in 1920 in Antwerp, Belgium....
football tournament in Antwerp.
On 21 April 2008 it was announced that his grave at Blackburn Municipal Cemetery had been restored to its former glory, the costs having been met by Blackburn Rovers.
Administrative work
Lewis, a strict teetotaller worked alongside ex-Shrewsbury SchoolShrewsbury School
Shrewsbury School is a co-educational independent school for pupils aged 13 to 18, founded by Royal Charter in 1552. The present campus to which the school moved in 1882 is located on the banks of the River Severn in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England...
old boy Arthur Constantine in bringing about the formation of Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
in 1875, and actually played in the first side fielded by the club. He also contributed to the foundation of the Lancashire FA
Lancashire County Football Association
The Lancashire County Football Association, also known simply as the Lancashire FA, is the governing body of football within the historical county boundaries of Lancashire, England...
in 1878 and later became a vice-president of the Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
and 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...
.
Refereeing career
Lewis had established himself as a notable referee within the domestic game in EnglandEngland
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...
and earned the nickname 'Prince of Referees'. He was three times appointed the referee in the FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...
(1895
1895 FA Cup Final
The 1895 FA Cup Final was contested by Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion at Crystal Palace. Aston Villa won 1–0, with Bob Chatt being credited with scoring the fastest goal in FA Cup Final history, scored after just 30 seconds...
, 1897
1897 FA Cup Final
The 1897 FA Cup Final was contested by Aston Villa and Everton at Crystal Palace. Aston Villa won 3–2, with goals by John Campbell, Fred Wheldon and Jimmy Crabtree. Everton's goals came from Jack Bell and Dickie Boyle....
and 1898
1898 FA Cup Final
The 1898 FA Cup Final was contested by Nottingham Forest and Derby County at Crystal Palace. Forest won 3–1, with goals from Arthur Capes and John McPherson. Steve Bloomer scored Derby's effort.-Summary:...
).
He refereed the 1898 FA Cup Semi-finals
FA Cup Semi-finals
The FA Cup Semi-finals are played to determine which teams will contest the FA Cup Final. They are the penultimate phase of the FA Cup, the oldest football tournament in the world.- Location :...
between Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
and Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
; the first match ended in a 1–1 draw. The replay at Crystal Palace
Crystal Palace National Sports Centre
The National Sports Centre at Crystal Palace in south London, England is a large sports centre and athletics stadium. It was opened in 1964 in Crystal Palace Park, close to the site of the former Crystal Palace, in the former parkland and also usurping part of the former grand prix circuit.It was...
was played in a blizzard. After a scoreless first half (in which Joe Turner
Joe Turner (footballer)
Joseph Turner was a professional footballer who played in the 1902 FA Cup final for Southampton. Southampton were a Southern League club at the time, and their feat was all the more remarkable in that they had already been losing finalists two years earlier...
missed a penalty for Southampton), in the second half the Saints were on top when, with ten minutes left to play, referee Lewis stopped the match for a time and the players left the pitch. No sooner had the game re-started than the weather worsened but Lewis decided that the match should continue. Southampton's goalkeeper George Clawley
George Clawley
George Clawley was an English professional goalkeeper who played for Stoke, Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries...
had his eyes "choked with snow" and conceded two goals in the final minutes of the game. Despite Southampton's protests the F.A.
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
decided that the result should stand - this was perhaps not surprising as Lewis was by then an eminent member of the F.A. board.
He was given charge of the 1908 Olympic final at White City
White City Stadium
White City Stadium was built in White City, London, for the 1908 Summer Olympics, often seen as the precursor to the modern seater stadium and noted for hosting the finish of the first modern distance marathon. It also hosted speedway and a match at the 1966 World Cup, before the stadium was...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
between Great Britain
England national amateur football team
The England national amateur football team was the amateur representative team for England at football. It was formed in 1906, due to the growth of the professional game which meant that amateur players could no longer easily find places in the main England national team.-First match and unbeaten...
and Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
which passed by without incident.
1920 Olympic Final
Lewis had already refereed the semi-final between the host nation Belgium and the NetherlandsNetherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
on the Thursday prior to the final on Saturday 2 September 1920. That Lewis was appointed match referee may be seen to be surprising in hindsight, given his age, but the Belgian national newspaper L'Action Nationale wrote an editorial on 4 September 1920 which read: "M. Lewis refereed the game magnificently on Thursday and yet Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia national football team
The Czechoslovakia national football team was the national association football team of Czechoslovakia from 1922 to 1993. At the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the team was participating in UEFA qualifying Group 4 for the 1994 World Cup; it completed this campaign under the name...
are now disqualified".
As it transpired, the final was played in a poor spirit and, with Belgium leading 2–0 after 30 minutes, Karel Pešek
Karel Pešek
Karel Pešek-Káďa was a Czechoslovak ice hockey and football player. He played as midfielder for Sparta Prague and the Czechoslovak football national team. He played from 1913 to 1933, scoring 149 goals in his club career.He played 44 matches for the national team and scored one goal...
, the Czechoslovakia and Sparta Prague captain, took his team-mates off the field of play after 43 minutes some time after Henri (Rik) Larnoe
Henri Larnoe
A. Henri Larnoe was a Belgian football player who competed in the 1920 Summer Olympics.He was a member of the Belgium team, which won the gold medal in the football tournament.- External links :*...
's 31st minute disputed goal was allowed to stand; the Czech defender Karel Steiner had been sent off for a bad foul. They did not return. At the end of the game the crowd, led by Belgian soldiers, invaded the field.
The Czech delegation made the following statement in regard to their protest: "2. The majority of the decisions of the referee Mr. Lewis were distorted and it was obvious that it gave the public the wrong impression in regard to our game. Also both Belgian goals were the result of incorrect decisions of the referee and we seek a rigorous investigation on that point." They also complained about the inclusion and performance of an English linesman (Charles Wreford-Brown) and the provocative influence of the troops lining the field.
Silver and bronze medals now came to be competed for in a consolation tournament, the Czech side having been disqualified. If they had not the consolation tournament - organised prior to the tournament - would have resulted only in a Bronze medallist.