It appears as if a week later Sian Massey cannot just move past the sexist comments made by Andy Gray and Richard Keys, even if she wants to. After being withdrawn from her assignment to a League Two match on Tuesday, Massey will supposed to return to officiating on Saturday for a Conference North match between Corby Town and Eastwood on Saturday. That return is being put on hold though after the Professional Game Match Officials group withdrew her from the assignment after speaking with Massey.
Sian Massey Withdrawn From Refereeing This Weekend
“The focus needs to be on the match not the officials,” a PGMO spokesman said. “It would be unfair on the clubs.”
Prior to a match between Liverpool and Wolverhampton last weekend, Gray and Keys said that Massey and other female referees could not possibly know the offside rule. Gray was later fired for his comments and Keys resigned.
When it was announced earlier in the week that Massey would be working the Corby Town and Eastwood match, Corby Town manager Graham Drury came out in support of Massey, saying:
“She stamps her authority on the game and she interacts with players well. We’ve got a top referee for this game. The sex of the person in the middle doesn’t affect me. They’ve got big decisions to make and everyone makes mistakes. We’ve had Sian before and she had a fantastic game.”
Corby reported a huge demand for television access when it was announced that Massey would referee this weekend match. Now that demand will likely shift to the next match Massey is assigned to.
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