Leslie Mottram
Encyclopedia
Leslie "Les" William Mottram (born 5 March 1951) is a retired football
referee from Scotland
best known for supervising two matches in the 1994 FIFA World Cup
in the USA.
Mottram turned to refereeing after a brief professional playing career at Airdrie
.
He became a professional referee when he left Scotland to officiate in the Japan
ese J. League
.
and Dundee United
in February 1993. United's Paddy Connolly
"scored" with a sharp shot which hit the supporting stanchion in the back of the net and bounced out. As the United players celebrated, a Thistle outfield player picked up the ball, expecting a kick-off following the "goal". Mottram, however, did not blow his whistle to indicate a goal and waved play-on, apparently assuming that the ball had hit the post. Given that interpretation, he should then have awarded a penalty kick against the Partick outfield player who had handled the ball, which he failed to do. The incident did not affect the outcome of the match, though, as Dundee United comfortably won 4-0. This incident may have been a contributing factor in Scottish clubs abandoning the old style goalposts in subsequent seasons, in favour of the modern style goals (which remain today) with vertical stanchions behind the goals themselves.
during the seasons of 1996 to 2001, and received four most excellent referee awards in the 1998 to 2002 seasons. He retired from refereeing top league matches in 2002 and, at the same time, was appointed as the chief refereeing instructor by the Japan Football Association
. He worked in this job for next four years and also had a seat on the discipline committee of the league for a short time. He was awarded a merit medal in the 2005 seasonal ceremony, then left Japan and went back to Scotland.
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 from Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
best known for supervising two matches in the 1994 FIFA World Cup
1994 FIFA World Cup
The 1994 FIFA World Cup, the 15th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in nine cities across the United States from June 17 to July 17, 1994. The United States was chosen as the host by FIFA on July 4, 1988...
in the USA.
Mottram turned to refereeing after a brief professional playing career at Airdrie
Airdrieonians F.C.
Airdrieonians Football Club, more commonly known as Airdrie, were a Scottish professional football team from the town of Airdrie, in the Monklands area of Lanarkshire....
.
He became a professional referee when he left Scotland to officiate in the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese J. League
J. League
The or is the top division of and is the top professional association football league in Japan. It is one of the most successful leagues in Asian club football and the only league given top class 'A' ranking by the AFC. Currently, J. League Division 1 is the first level of the Japanese...
.
Stanchion incident
Mottram is best remembered in Scotland for an incident in a match between Partick ThistlePartick Thistle F.C.
Partick Thistle Football Club are a professional association football club from Glasgow. Despite their name, the club are based in the Maryhill area of the city, and have not played in Partick since 1908...
and Dundee United
Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
in February 1993. United's Paddy Connolly
Paddy Connolly
Patrick 'Paddy' Connolly is a Scottish former footballer, who spent over twenty years with a number of Scottish clubs. Now a scout for Fulham, Connolly also recently worked in an assistant manager role for Albion Rovers...
"scored" with a sharp shot which hit the supporting stanchion in the back of the net and bounced out. As the United players celebrated, a Thistle outfield player picked up the ball, expecting a kick-off following the "goal". Mottram, however, did not blow his whistle to indicate a goal and waved play-on, apparently assuming that the ball had hit the post. Given that interpretation, he should then have awarded a penalty kick against the Partick outfield player who had handled the ball, which he failed to do. The incident did not affect the outcome of the match, though, as Dundee United comfortably won 4-0. This incident may have been a contributing factor in Scottish clubs abandoning the old style goalposts in subsequent seasons, in favour of the modern style goals (which remain today) with vertical stanchions behind the goals themselves.
Refereeing work in Japan
Mottram was invited to Japan in 1996. Although his original contract was only for 3 months, J. League organizers, who were impressed by his refereeing ability, offered long term contracts. He refereed 147 matches in J1, 15 in J2 and 25 in the J. League CupJ. League Cup
J. League Cup is a Japanese football competition organized by J. League. It is also known as Yamazaki Nabisco Cup or Nabisco Cup because confectionery/bakery company Yamazaki Nabisco have sponsored the competition since its inception in 1992.It is generally regarded as the Japanese equivalent to...
during the seasons of 1996 to 2001, and received four most excellent referee awards in the 1998 to 2002 seasons. He retired from refereeing top league matches in 2002 and, at the same time, was appointed as the chief refereeing instructor by the Japan Football Association
Japan Football Association
The Japan Football Association, sometimes known as the Japan Soccer Association , is the governing body responsible for the administration of association football in Japan. It is responsible for the national team as well as club competitions....
. He worked in this job for next four years and also had a seat on the discipline committee of the league for a short time. He was awarded a merit medal in the 2005 seasonal ceremony, then left Japan and went back to Scotland.