Ken Burns (referee)
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Burns is an English
former football
referee who officiated in the English Football League
, and on the FIFA
list. During his refereeing career he was based in Stourbridge
, in the borough of Dudley
, West Midlands
, and was by profession a legal executive
.
semi-final between Leeds United
and Chelsea at Villa Park
, which the London
side won 1-0, after Burns had disallowed two late Leeds goals. Revenge was to come six months later, in an old First Division
fixture at Elland Road
between the two sides, on October 7, 1967. Burns also refereed this, and the Yorkshire
team won 7-0.
In 1968 he was promoted to FIFA international status, at the age of thirty seven. His greatest domestic honour came in 1973 when he refereed the FA Cup Final
between Leeds and Sunderland at Wembley. This is a well-remembered Final, not least for a crucial double-save by North East
goalkeeper Jimmy Montgomery
, as Sunderland, of the old Second Division
, defeated Leeds, one of the top clubs in the country at that time, by 1 goal to nil. He was serving as president of the Referees' Association when he took this appointment.
Burns was a regular official in European
competitions, at both international and club level. He controlled the European Championships qualifier
between Portugal
and Belgium on November 21, 1971, for a place in the 1972 competition finals. He also took charge of a European Cup
quarter-final between Bayern Munich
and Ajax in 1973., and of Club Brugge
's famous win over Real Madrid
in the same competition in the autumn of 1976. He would probably have received more appointments of this stature, but for his busy fellow West Midlander
, Wolverhampton
's Jack Taylor
, who was England's senior representative at that time.
Burns retired in 1978 after seventeen years of Football League refereeing and ten at international level. By coincidence, his career had also overlapped with another long-serving Football League, FA Cup Final
and international referee from Stourbridge - Eric Jennings
.
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 officiated in the English 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 on the FIFA
FIFA
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...
list. During his refereeing career he was based in Stourbridge
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. Historically part of Worcestershire, Stourbridge was a centre of glass making, and today includes the suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley The...
, in the borough of Dudley
Metropolitan Borough of Dudley
The Metropolitan Borough of Dudley is a metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It was created in 1974, and is made up of the towns of Dudley , Stourbridge , Halesowen, Brierley Hill, Amblecote, Sedgley and Coseley...
, West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, and was by profession a legal executive
Legal Executive
Legal executives are trained legal professionals in England & Wales, Northern Ireland, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong who often specialise in a particular area of law. There is, however, no direct equivalent to a legal executive in Scotland...
.
Career
He made the Football League referees list at the age of thirty in 1961. On April 29, 1967, he refereed the FA CupFA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
semi-final between 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...
and Chelsea at Villa Park
Villa Park
Villa Park may mean:United Kingdom* Villa Park, an association football stadium in Birmingham, EnglandUnited States* Villa Park, California, a small city in Orange County* Villa Park, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago in DuPage County...
, which the 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...
side won 1-0, after Burns had disallowed two late Leeds goals. Revenge was to come six months later, in an old First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
fixture 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...
between the two sides, on October 7, 1967. Burns also refereed this, and the Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
team won 7-0.
In 1968 he was promoted to FIFA international status, at the age of thirty seven. His greatest domestic honour came in 1973 when he refereed the FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final 1973
The 1973 FA Cup Final took place on 5 May 1973 at Wembley Stadium. It was the 92nd final and the 45th to be played at Wembley, which was celebrating its 50th anniversary year. The final was contested between the previous season's winners Leeds United, who were one of the dominant teams at the time,...
between Leeds and Sunderland at Wembley. This is a well-remembered Final, not least for a crucial double-save by North East
North East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
goalkeeper Jimmy Montgomery
Jimmy Montgomery
Jimmy Montgomery is a former footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He made a record 627 appearances for his hometown club Sunderland with 537 of these appearances being in the league, after joining the club as a youngster in 1960.-Football career:He made his debut aged only 18 against Walsall,...
, as Sunderland, of the old Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
, defeated Leeds, one of the top clubs in the country at that time, by 1 goal to nil. He was serving as president of the Referees' Association when he took this appointment.
Burns was a regular official in European
UEFA
The Union of European Football Associations , almost always referred to by its acronym UEFA is the administrative and controlling body for European association football, futsal and beach soccer....
competitions, at both international and club level. He controlled the European Championships qualifier
1972 UEFA European Football Championship qualifying
The qualifying round for the 1972 European Football Championship consisted of 32 teams divided into eight groups of four teams. Each group winner progressed to the quarter-finals. The quarter-finals were played in two legs on a home-and-away basis...
between Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
and Belgium on November 21, 1971, for a place in the 1972 competition finals. He also took charge of a European Cup
European Cup 1972-73
The 1972–73 season of the European Cup football club tournament was won by for the third consecutive time by Ajax in the final against Juventus at Stadion FK Crvena Zvezda in Belgrade...
quarter-final between Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich
FC Bayern Munich , is a German sports club based in Munich, Bavaria. It is best known for its professional football team, which is the most successful football club in Germany, having won 22 national titles and 15 cups....
and Ajax in 1973., and of Club Brugge
Club Brugge
Club Brugge Koninklijke Voetbalvereniging is a football club from Bruges in Belgium. It was founded in 1891 and is one of the top clubs in Belgium. Its home ground is the Jan Breydel Stadium, which has a capacity of 29,472....
's famous win over Real Madrid
Real Madrid
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
in the same competition in the autumn of 1976. He would probably have received more appointments of this stature, but for his busy fellow West Midlander
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
, Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton
Wolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
's Jack Taylor
Jack Taylor (referee)
John Keith "Jack" Taylor is an English former football referee, famous for officiating in the 1974 FIFA World Cup Final where he awarded two penalties during the first 30 minutes.-Refereeing career:...
, who was England's senior representative at that time.
Burns retired in 1978 after seventeen years of Football League refereeing and ten at international level. By coincidence, his career had also overlapped with another long-serving Football League, 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...
and international referee from Stourbridge - Eric Jennings
Eric Jennings
Eric T. Jennings is an English former football referee, who operated in the Football League and for FIFA. He comes from Stourbridge in the West Midlands.-Career:Jennings was promoted to the Football League referees List in 1954, aged only 31....
.
- Football League Handbooks, 1961–1970
- Rothmans Football Yearbooks, 1971–1978
- Ionescu, Romeo (2003) The Complete Results & Line-Ups of the European Fairs Cup 1955-1971, Soccer Books Limited
- Ionescu, Romeo (2004) The Complete Results & Line-Ups of the European Champion Clubs’ Cup 1955-1991, Soccer Books Limited
- Ionescu, Romeo (2004) The Complete Results & Line-Ups of the European Cup Winners Cup 1960-1999, Soccer Books Limited
- Ionescu, Romeo (2004) The Complete Results & Line-Ups of the UEFA Cup 1971-1991, Soccer Books Limited