Stephen Graham risks football match ban after profane rant at referee
Veteran actor Stephen Graham is said to be facing a probe by the Football Association after hurling a string of insults towards a non-league referee from the sidelines
Line of Duty star Stephen Graham lost his cool at a recent football game, launching a foul mouthed rant towards a non-league referee.
Graham, who is well known for his roles in Line Of Duty and Boiling Point, attended a football match on Saturday 14 December alongside his son at Barrow Town in Leicestershire. Yet it appears that when things weren’t going his team’s way, Graham lost his composure and launched into an X-rated rant at the referee of the football match.
The actor’s string of insults included calling the sports referee David Kennedy a “f***ing Tellytubby", as well as a “fat useless t**t”.
As his rants continued, Graham is also said to have continued to direct his anger to Kennedy, as he accused the football official of being on a “power trip” and said he was a “useless t**t”. He also shouted: “Look at the state of you, you fat t**t”.
Line of Duty star Stephen Graham is said to have launched a foul mouthed tirade at a Barrow Town football match ( Image: PA)
The actor’s tirade of insults and swearwords is said to have held up the match for eight minutes, and has now triggered an FA probe against Graham. Kennedy is said to have stopped the game and refused to let it restart until Graham left the touchline. Graham was attending the match as his nephew plays for Barrow Town, and was joined by his 17-year-old son Alfie who onlookers have said was left “mortified” by his dad’s behaviour.
A source told The Sun: “His behaviour was absolutely disgusting. The referee was so horrified, along with everyone else. He, rightly, refused to continue with the match until Graham left. Eventually he agreed to go and sit in the bar so the game could continue.
Graham, who lives with his family in Ibstock, Leicester, is said to have later called the ref to apologise for his behaviour. Initially he’s said to have wanted to apologise after the game, but was told to go home instead and later contacted the ref personally to apologise.
The Leicestershire and Rutland County FA are investigating and it could result in a ban from the FA for Graham, preventing him from attending future games. Graham’s rant comes amid a huge rise in abuse of refs, with the FA last year launching its “Enough Is Enough” campaign to stamp out discriminatory behaviour.
The FA revealed to The Sun that it was supporting the local body in its investigation. A spokesman said: “We strongly condemn any abusive or unacceptable behaviour aimed toward our match officials, on or off the pitch. We are aware of this incident and supporting Leicestershire and Rutland County FA who are carrying out a full investigation.”
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