Former Premier League referee Bobby Madley has revealed he was sacked for sending a video in which he mocked a disabled person.
Madley left his role in August 2018 and refereeing body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) said at the time he had decided to relocate due to a change in his personal circumstances .
However, the 34-year-old explained in a blog post on Tuesday titled Time to move on that he had been dismissed with immediate effect for gross misconduct on grounds of discrimination .
Madley wrote that he sent a video to a friend, which was later passed to his employers, in which he captioned a clip of a person with a walking impairment: F*** me, I have a chance of winning the parents race this year.
The official said he had been fat shamed in the media and described as Blobby Bobby , so he had intended the message as a private joke.
Out of context, I accept this reads shamefully. I accept that, Madley wrote. However, my intention was that the joke was aimed at myself.
He added: I regret taking the video, I regret sending that video, and while it was a dark humoured joke, it was just that: a joke.
It was not intended to shame anyone, it was not intended to be seen by anyone other than the person I sent it to privately in a text message on my own personal phone.
Madley, whose late father was disabled, said he was stunned over his dismissal by PGMOL for a badly misjudged joke .
He wrote: I started refereeing at 16, my career was over at 32. I had my dream job, a well paid and incredibly enjoyable job that I loved every single minute of.
The footballs and medals are now all I have to remember those years of dedication and hard work.
