Referee observer Brian Curson suspended for nine weeks over discriminatory remarks

A referee observer has been suspended for nine weeks and fined £200 after the Football Association found he made discriminatory remarks following a match. BBC Sport reports that Brian Curson, who works for Pro Ref, was sanctioned by an FA commission. Referee observers attend games to assess the match officials, the referee and assistant referees who run the match on the pitch.

The incident dates back to 15 November 2025. Curson was at Kenilworth Road to assess officials at the League One fixture between Luton Town and Rotherham United. The FA investigated an allegation that he made two discriminatory comments in the lounge at Luton's stadium after the game.

He was charged with acting in an improper manner and/or using abusive or insulting words. The commission went further and classed the breach as "aggravated", a term used when the comments involve a reference, spoken or implied, to someone's ethnic origin, race or nationality. Curson said he did not recall making the comments. The commission was still satisfied, on the balance of probabilities (meaning it was more likely than not), that he had made them.

As well as the suspension and fine, Curson was ordered to attend a mandatory education programme and received a warning about his future conduct. The FA's news page lists the case under its discipline entries, headed "Brian Curson sanctioned", and describes him as a referee match observer sanctioned for misconduct.

Referee observers are there to judge officials, so their own behaviour is expected to meet a high standard. Football has spent years trying to push racist and discriminatory language out of the game, from the stands to the pitch to the rooms where people gather after the final whistle. A sanction that reaches into that post-match space is a reminder that the rules cover everyone involved in a match, not only the players.

Curson's account is that he could not recall the remarks.