Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Barnet’s Dean Brennan Banned Nine Matches for Gender-Related Abuse of Referee

An independent commission ruled his comments to referee Kirsty Dowle constituted an aggravated breach under FA Rule E3.2.

Overview

  • An FA regulatory commission found the charge proven after a hearing and imposed a £2,000 fine and a mandatory education course.
  • The incident occurred on 6 September during Barnet’s 3-1 home loss to Shrewsbury Town, when Brennan was sent off by Dowle for dissent.
  • The FA treated the case as an aggravated breach because the abuse included a reference, express or implied, to the referee’s gender.
  • Brennan issued a statement saying he categorically denies discrimination and does not agree with the panel’s decision.
  • The touchline ban runs until Barnet’s match against Cambridge United on 28 March, and the FA will publish written reasons in due course.