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Steve Bennett (referee)
Encyclopedia
Stephen Graham Bennett is a former English
football referee who operated in the Premier League, and previously for FIFA
as an assistant referee and then referee.
.
In 1995 he began refereeing in the Football League
, and since 1999 in the Premier League. In 2001 he was appointed as an official FIFA
referee.
Bennett took charge of an official friendly international match, known as "The Other Final
", in 2002, between the two lowest FIFA-ranked teams in the world at the time, Bhutan
and Montserrat
, at the Changlimithang Stadium
, Thimphu
, Bhutan
. This took place on the morning of the World Cup Final
in that year, and the home side won 4–0. The subsequent documentary film, entitled The Other Final and directed by Dutchman Johan Kramer, was released in 2003.
In 2004 Bennett was criticised by FIFA president Sepp Blatter
for having sent off Everton's
Tim Cahill
for removing his shirt after scoring against Manchester City
.
Bennett refereed the 2005 League Cup
final at the Millennium Stadium
between Chelsea
and Liverpool
, which the London club won by 3 goals to 2. In October 2005, he was in charge of the World Cup qualifier
between Norway
and Moldova
, when the home
side won 1–0 with a goal from Sigurd Rushfeldt
.
He took charge of the UEFA
quarter final first leg match in March 2006 between Benfica and Barcelona
, the game ending 0–0.
Bennett was chosen to referee the 2007 FA Cup Final between Chelsea
and Manchester United
on 19 May 2007, the first at the new Wembley Stadium
. Chelsea won by 1–0, Didier Drogba
scoring late in the second half of extra time. Bennett issued seven bookings, four of which came in the added 30 minutes.
In the first period of extra time, Ryan Giggs
' shot was gathered by Petr Čech
. Giggs claimed that the ball had crossed the line, despite sliding into the goalkeeper and seemingly forcing the Chelsea man backwards. Bennett did not give a goal, but after the game Giggs commented: "It was clearly over the line - that's what I was asking for. I could see it was over the line and the referee did not give a free-kick so it was a goal." Carlos Queiroz
, a Manchester United
assistant coach, said: "It is a clear penalty, there is no doubt about that. We are not surprised because after the pressure of the last 15 days it is natural the referee under pressure is not able to make the crucial decision of the game. The more pressure you put on referees the more it seems like some teams and some managers become compensated in the game because nobody does anything about that."
Bennett was involved in some controversy when he refereed the Manchester United
versus Liverpool
Premier League encounter on 22 March 2008. He sent off Liverpool's Argentine
Midfield
er Javier Mascherano for a second bookable offence. Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez
has publicly defended his player. Mascherano initially said: "I do not know why I was sent off. I asked the referee what was happening. I did not swear, I was not aggressive and I did not confront him. All I did was ask him what was happening, nothing else. So when he showed me the second yellow card and sent me off I could not believe it." Mascherano later retracted this line, apologizing for his actions and admitting his behavior was inappropriate.
Mascherano admitted a charge of improper conduct, was fined two weeks wages by the club, and attended a personal hearing before the FA on April 3. Following this, he received a further two-match ban and a £15,000 fine.
Since the incident, The Sun
national newspaper has launched a 'Shut It' campaign, urging footballers to respect the referee and curb their argumentative behaviour.
Bennett retired from the FIFA list of referees in 2006, at the compulsory age of 45.
In July 2009 Bennett was invited by the England and Wales Cricket Board Association of Cricket Officials to sit as an Independent Director on the new ACO Board.
In July 2010 Bennett retired from refereeing and has agreed to become a full time referee coach, sharing his expertise in developing the next generation of referees.
(There are no available records prior to 1997/1998)
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 referee who operated in the Premier League, and previously for 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...
as an assistant referee and then referee.
Career
Bennett has been a referee since 1984, starting out in his home county of KentKent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
.
In 1995 he began refereeing 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 since 1999 in the Premier League. In 2001 he was appointed as an official 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...
referee.
Bennett took charge of an official friendly international match, known as "The Other Final
The Other Final
The Other Final is a 2003 documentary film, directed by Johan Kramer, about a football match between Bhutan and Montserrat, the then-lowest ranked teams in the FIFA World Rankings. The game was played in the Changlimithang Stadium, Thimphu, Bhutan. Bhutan won the game 4-0...
", in 2002, between the two lowest FIFA-ranked teams in the world at the time, Bhutan
Bhutan national football team
The Bhutan national football team is the national team of Bhutan and is controlled by the Bhutan Football Federation.- History :While a Bhutanese National football team has existed since the 1970s, it was officially founded in 1983 and joined FIFA in 2000....
and Montserrat
Montserrat national football team
The Montserrat national football team represents the small Caribbean island of Montserrat in the CONCACAF football region. Football is the second most popular sport in Montserrat, with cricket being the most-played sport on the island. The team play at the Blakes Estate Stadium in Plymouth and the...
, at the Changlimithang Stadium
Changlimithang Stadium
Changlimithang Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Thimphu, Bhutan, which serves as the National Stadium. It is currently used mostly for football and archery matches. The stadium holds 25,000...
, Thimphu
Thimphu
Thimphu also spelt Thimpu, is the capital and largest city of Bhutan. It is situated in the western central part of Bhutan and the surrounding valley is one of Bhutan's dzongkhags, the Thimphu District. The city became the capital of Bhutan in 1961...
, Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
. This took place on the morning of the World Cup Final
2002 FIFA World Cup Final
The 2002 FIFA World Cup Final the final match of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, played between Germany and Brazil at the International Stadium in Yokohama, Japan. It was the first World Cup meeting between the two sides. Brazil won the match 2–0, winning a record fifth title...
in that year, and the home side won 4–0. The subsequent documentary film, entitled The Other Final and directed by Dutchman Johan Kramer, was released in 2003.
In 2004 Bennett was criticised by FIFA president Sepp Blatter
Sepp Blatter
Joseph S. Blatter , commonly known as Sepp Blatter, is a Swiss football administrator, who serves as the 8th and current President of FIFA . He was elected on 8 June 1998, succeeding João Havelange. He was re-elected as President in 2002, 2007, and 2011...
for having sent off Everton's
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...
Tim Cahill
Tim Cahill
Timothy Filiga "Tim" Cahill is an football player of Australian nationality who plays for Everton and the Australian national football team...
for removing his shirt after scoring against Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
.
Bennett refereed the 2005 League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
final at the Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
between Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
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...
, which the London club won by 3 goals to 2. In October 2005, he was in charge of the World Cup qualifier
2006 FIFA World Cup qualification
A total of 197 teams entered the qualification process for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, competing for a total of 32 spots in the final tournament. Germany, as the host, qualified automatically, leaving 31 spots open for competition...
between Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
and Moldova
Moldova national football team
The Moldova national football team represents Moldova in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Moldova, the governing body for football in Moldova. Moldova's home ground is Zimbru Stadium in Chişinău and their head coach is Gavril Balint...
, when the home
Home team
In team sports, the term home advantage describes the advantage–usually a psychological advantage–that the home team is said to have over the visiting team as a result of playing in familiar facilities and in front of supportive fans...
side won 1–0 with a goal from Sigurd Rushfeldt
Sigurd Rushfeldt
Sigurd Rushfeldt is a current Norwegian football coach for Tromsø IL and retired football player. During his career, he played for IL Norild, Tromsø IL, Birmingham City F.C., Rosenborg BK, Racing de Santander, and FK Austria Wien. He is well known for his strength and for being a prolific goalscorer...
.
He took charge of the UEFA
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....
quarter final first leg match in March 2006 between Benfica and Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
, the game ending 0–0.
Bennett was chosen to referee the 2007 FA Cup Final between Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
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...
on 19 May 2007, the first at the new Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
. Chelsea won by 1–0, Didier Drogba
Didier Drogba
Didier Yves Drogba Tébily is an Ivorian footballer who plays in the centre forward position. He currently plays for Chelsea in the Premier League, where he is deputy vice-captain, and is the captain and all-time top scorer of the Côte d'Ivoire national football team...
scoring late in the second half of extra time. Bennett issued seven bookings, four of which came in the added 30 minutes.
In the first period of extra time, Ryan Giggs
Ryan Giggs
Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE is a Welsh professional footballer who plays for Manchester United. Giggs made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season and has been a regular player since the 1991–92 season...
' shot was gathered by Petr Čech
Petr Cech
Petr Čech is a Czech footballer who plays for Chelsea and the Czech Republic as a goalkeeper. Čech previously played for Viktoria Plzeň, Chmel Blšany, Sparta Prague, and Rennes. He was voted into the all-star team of Euro 2004 after helping his country reach the semi-finals...
. Giggs claimed that the ball had crossed the line, despite sliding into the goalkeeper and seemingly forcing the Chelsea man backwards. Bennett did not give a goal, but after the game Giggs commented: "It was clearly over the line - that's what I was asking for. I could see it was over the line and the referee did not give a free-kick so it was a goal." Carlos Queiroz
Carlos Queiroz
Carlos Manuel Brito Leal Queiroz ComIH is a Portuguese football manager. He is currently the manager of the Iran national football team. A former manager of Real Madrid, and Portugal national football team, he has also twice been Alex Ferguson's assistant manager at English club Manchester...
, a 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...
assistant coach, said: "It is a clear penalty, there is no doubt about that. We are not surprised because after the pressure of the last 15 days it is natural the referee under pressure is not able to make the crucial decision of the game. The more pressure you put on referees the more it seems like some teams and some managers become compensated in the game because nobody does anything about that."
Bennett was involved in some controversy when he refereed the 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...
versus 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...
Premier League encounter on 22 March 2008. He sent off Liverpool's Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
Midfield
Midfield
Midfield is the part of a sports pitch that lies approximately in the center. It is a term most commonly associated with football to refer to the area in and around the center circle, as well as the players who occupy that region, but it can be used in field hockey to describe the same area, or in...
er Javier Mascherano for a second bookable offence. Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez
Rafael Benítez
Rafael "Rafa" Benítez Maudes is a football manager, and former player. He is currently unemployed, after leaving as manager of Internazionale in December 2010....
has publicly defended his player. Mascherano initially said: "I do not know why I was sent off. I asked the referee what was happening. I did not swear, I was not aggressive and I did not confront him. All I did was ask him what was happening, nothing else. So when he showed me the second yellow card and sent me off I could not believe it." Mascherano later retracted this line, apologizing for his actions and admitting his behavior was inappropriate.
Mascherano admitted a charge of improper conduct, was fined two weeks wages by the club, and attended a personal hearing before the FA on April 3. Following this, he received a further two-match ban and a £15,000 fine.
Since the incident, The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
national newspaper has launched a 'Shut It' campaign, urging footballers to respect the referee and curb their argumentative behaviour.
Bennett retired from the FIFA list of referees in 2006, at the compulsory age of 45.
In July 2009 Bennett was invited by the England and Wales Cricket Board Association of Cricket Officials to sit as an Independent Director on the new ACO Board.
In July 2010 Bennett retired from refereeing and has agreed to become a full time referee coach, sharing his expertise in developing the next generation of referees.
Career statistics
| Season | Games | Total | per game | Total | per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 1997-98 in English football The 1997-1998 season was the 118th season of competitive football in England.-Premier League:Arsenal overhauled Manchester United's lead during the final weeks of the season to win the Premiership title... |
36 | 128 | 3.56 | 12 | 0.33 |
| 1998–99 1998-99 in English football -Premier League:Manchester United overcame close competition from Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea to win their fifth Premiership title in seven seasons thanks to the comeback of Roy Keane after his long-term injury and a transfer raid totalling nearly £30 million which netted Aston Villa striker... |
39 | 162 | 4.15 | 10 | 0.26 |
| 1999–00 | 33 | 107 | 3.24 | 2 | 0.06 |
| 2000–01 2000-01 in English football The 2000–01 season was the 121st season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Manchester United secured their 3rd Premiership title in succession and their 7th title in just nine seasons... |
31 | 87 | 2.81 | 8 | 0.26 |
| 2001–02 2001-02 in English football The 2001-02 season was the 122nd season of competitive football in England.-Arsenal cruise to title glory:In what had earlier been one of the most closely fought Premiership title races for years, Arsenal won the championship by seven points. Their crown was won in the penultimate game of the... |
33 | 105 | 3.18 | 8 | 0.24 |
| 2002–03 2002-03 in English football The 2002-03 season was the 123rd season of competitive football in England.-Most Memorable rise:*Wigan Athletic marked their 25th season of Football League membership by winning the Division Two championship and reaching the league's second tier for the very first time.-Most Memorable... |
38 | 148 | 3.89 | 7 | 0.18 |
| 2003–04 2003-04 in English football The 2003-04 season was the 124th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:Arsenal completed the entire campaign without losing a single league game.... |
35 | 103 | 2.94 | 12 | 0.34 |
| 2004–05 2004-05 in English football The 2004–05 season was the 125th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*2004–05 was the first season to feature the rebranded Football League. The First Division, Second Division and Third Division were renamed the Football League Championship, Football League One and Football League... |
42 | 169 | 4.02 | 10 | 0.24 |
| 2005–06 2005-06 in English football The 2005–06 season was the 126th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*The rebuilt Wembley Stadium was due to open in time for the FA Cup final in May. However, in August 2005, The Football Association reserved the Millennium Stadium as a backup, as there was some doubt whether... |
42 | 141 | 3.36 | 12 | 0.29 |
| 2006–07 2006-07 in English football The 2006–07 season was the 127th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:* The number of divisions at Level 8 of the English football league system increased from four to five... |
45 | 151 | 3.35 | 14 | 0.31 |
| 2007–08 2007-08 in English football The 2007–08 season was the 128th season of competitive football in England.-European competitions:In October 2007 Arsenal equalled the UEFA Champions League record victory with a 7–0 win over Slavia Prague at the Emirates Stadium. The record was broken the following month when Liverpool... |
41 | 128 | 3.12 | 9 | 0.21 |
| 2008–09 | 31 | 118 | 3.80 | 1 | 0.03 |
| 2009–10 | 34 | 124 | 3.65 | 6 | 0.18 |
(There are no available records prior to 1997/1998)
3 red cards in a game
- October 1997, PortsmouthPortsmouth F.C.Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
(Thompson) v. BradfordBradford City A.F.C.Bradford City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, playing in League Two....
(KulcsarGeorge KulcsarGeorge Kulcsar is a naturalised Australian footballer who played in Australia for AIS, Canberra City and St. George Saints, in Belgium for Royal Antwerp, in England for Bradford City and Queens Park Rangers, and in Singapore for Home United...
, PepperNigel PepperColin Nigel Pepper , more commonly known as Nigel Pepper, is an English footballer.Pepper played for York when they beat Manchester United 3–0 at Old Trafford in the League Cup in 1995...
) - January 2001, TottenhamTottenham Hotspur F.C.Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
(SullivanNeil SullivanNeil Sullivan is an English-born Scottish ex-international professional Association footballer. A goalkeeper, Sullivan currently plays for Doncaster Rovers after signing on a permanent basis from Leeds United at the end of the 2006–07 season, following two loan moves to Doncaster...
) v. NewcastleNewcastle United F.C.Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
(SolanoNolberto SolanoNolberto Albino "Nobby" Solano Todco is a Peruvian footballer who plays for Hartlepool United. He has spent much of his career in the English Premier League and also played 95 times for Peru between 1994 and 2009...
, DyerKieron DyerKieron Courtney Dyer is an English footballer who plays for Queens Park Rangers. Born in Ipswich, he is an attacking midfielder who played youth football for his home club before going on to make nearly 100 league appearances for the club's first team...
) - November 2006, ColchesterColchester United F.C.Colchester United Football Club is an English football club based in Colchester. The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910....
(BarkerChris BarkerChristopher Andrew "Chris" Barker is an English footballer who plays as a defender for Southend United. He has also represented Barnsley, Cardiff City, Stoke City, Colchester United, Queens Park Rangers and Plymouth Argyle since beginning his career in 1997...
) v. SouthendSouthend United F.C.Southend United Football Club is an English football club based at Roots Hall Stadium, Prittlewell, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, who play in Football League Two. Their home ground is Roots Hall, and the club plan to move into a new 22,000-seater stadium located at Fossetts Farm.-Stadium:The club has had...
(MaherKevin MaherKevin Andrew Maher is an English-born Republic of Ireland footballer who plays for Dagenham & Redbridge. He predominantly plays as a central midfielder.- Southend United :...
, GowerMark GowerMark Gower is an English footballer who plays for Swansea City. He joined Swansea from Southend United in the summer of 2008. He also played for the England schoolboys team.-Career:...
)
10 cards in a game
- October 1998, Notts CountyNotts County F.C.Notts County Football Club are an English professional football club based in Nottingham. They are the oldest of all the clubs in the world that are now professional, having been formed in 1862. They currently play in League One of The Football League, the third tier of the English football system...
( ) v. LincolnLincoln City F.C.Lincoln City Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Lincoln, Lincolnshire. The club are currently members of the Conference National in 2011–12 following relegation from the Football League....
( ) - November 2002, TottenhamTottenham Hotspur F.C.Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
( ) v. LeedsLeeds 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...
( ) - March 2005, BoltonBolton Wanderers F.C.Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
( ) v. ArsenalArsenal 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...
( ) - June 2005, SpainSpain national football teamThe Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
v. Bosnia and HerzegovinaBosnia and Herzegovina national football teamThe Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team is the national football team of Bosnia and Herzegovina, governed by the Football Association of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
( )
External links
- Steve Bennett Referee Statistics at soccerbase.com
- Steve Bennett Profile at Refworld.com