Repulsive Diadora advert

Some referees may have seen a Diadora advert depicting a referee tied up and
gagged in the boot of a car having apparently been beaten up. Stephen Saul
of Wimbledon Society noticed this and was pro-active enough to complain to
the Advertising Standards Authority (as well as informing the RA which has
taken up the question with the FA). Very pleasingly, the ASA has
investigated the complaint and found that the advert "would not be seen as
humourous and was likely to cause serious and widespread offence".

Other snippets

* Very disappointingly, EIGHT Surrey referees failed the Isthmian
League fitness test. As a result, the Surrey FA has decided that, in
future, referees will have to pass a fitness test run by the County FA
before they are recommended for promotion to Contributory League line.
* A number of FA appointments have been turned down, again to the
dismay of the County FA. Members are reminded to send their CLOSED DATES to
County Office - for the attention of the Referes' Committee.
* Referees not receiving a copy of an assessment 14 days after a match
should contact the County FA.
* The Referees' Committee is planning to resurrect the Youth
Development Scheme this Season to compliment the Academy Scheme for those
slightly older. Two leaders have been identified and more news imminently,
as they say!!
* Two Surrey Societies now have web sites; Wimbledon and Sutton. They
can be found on the web at http://www.wimbledonreferees.freeserve.co.uk and
http://www.suttonreferees.connectfree.co.uk respectively.

David Crick