Anthony Bates

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Personal information
Anthony Bates

Full name	Anthony Bates
Date of birth	October 26, 1961 (1961-10-26) (age 46)
Place of birth	Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England
Domestic
Years	League	Role
1993–1996 1996–	Football League Football League	Asst. referee Referee
International
1993–1996	UEFA listed	Asst. referee

Anthony Bates (born October 26, 1961,^[1] Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent,^[2] Staffordshire^[1]) is an English association football referee who operates in the Football League, and previously served as assistant referee for UEFA in the Euro 96 competition. He also refereed the FA Women's Cup Final in 2007.

[edit] Career

Bates became a Football League assistant referee in 1993, and took up the flag during the Charity Shield match at Wembley on August 13, 1995,^[1] when Everton beat Blackburn Rovers 1–0 courtesy of a Vinny Samways goal.^[3] He fulfilled the same role for UEFA, and ran the line in the Euro 96 group match between Germany and the Czech Republic. He was also an assistant referee for Dermot Gallagher during the 1996 FA Cup Final^[1] at Wembley on May 11, 1996, when Manchester United beat Liverpool 1–0, with Eric Cantona scoring the only goal.^[4]

Following that busy period, he was promoted to referee in the Football League for the 1996-97 season.^[1] One of his first appointments was the Third Division match between Hereford United and Doncaster Rovers at Edgar Street on August 24, 1996, when the home side won 1–0.^[2]

His only match of note during his first six years at Football League level was an old First Division play-off semi-final first leg, which he refereed on April 28, 2002. It was between Birmingham City and Millwall at St. Andrews, and finished in a 1–1 draw.^[5] Birmingham were promoted to the Premier League after winning the Final on penalties.

In 2004, former Liverpool and Denmark international Jan Molby was sent from the dugout by referee Bates after having verbally abused the fourth official during the old Third Division match between Southend United and Kidderminster Harriers.^[6] It was played at Roots Hall on February 14, 2004, and finished 3–0 to Southend.^[7] Harriers' director of football Molby was subsequently fined £1,500 by the FA, and banned from the touchline for four matches.^[8]

After a match in Football League One between Nottingham Forest and Scunthorpe United at the City Ground on August 20, 2005,^[9] Bates attempted to take an unprecedented step regarding a yellow card he had issued to Scunthorpe's Andy Crosby during the game. Having agreed to review it, he asked the Football Association to "overturn the yellow card after viewing video evidence - but FIFA rules insist cautions may not be withdrawn",^[10] only dismissals by straight red card.

Bates was the referee in charge of an FA Cup first round tie between Newport County and Swansea City at Newport Stadium on November 11, 2006,^[11] when assistant referee Alan Sheffield was struck by a coin thrown from the crowd, shortly after County manager Peter Beadle was sent from the technical area by Bates for verbal abuse of Sheffield during the game, and following a free kick given in favour of Swansea from which they scored. After the match, Beadle said: "I questioned the referee's decision on whether it was a foul or not and that's the end of it. Unfortunately they are pretty quick to send you away from the dugout. You can't even ask them questions or contest their decisions." In mitigation, however, he added: "I'd like to apologise to the board of directors, players and supporters of Newport County Football Club for my actions and behaviour at the game".^[12] Newport lost 3–1.^[11]

Subsequently, both Newport County and their manager received heavy punishments from the Welsh FA. "The Conference South side were fined £3,000" after being "found guilty of failing to control their supporters", and Beadle "received a seven-match touchline ban after accepting misconduct charges. He was also fined £1,500, half of which [was] suspended subject to good behaviour".^[13]

Bates' highest honour yet was his appointment to the FA Women's Cup Final, played on May 7, 2007 at the City Ground, Nottingham. Arsenal defeated Charlton Athletic 4–1 to clinch "The Quadruple" (the winning of four competitions in one season, the others being the FA Women's Premier League, FA Women's Premier League Cup and UEFA Women's Cup).^[14]

On December 22, 2007, he refereed the 1–1 draw in the Championship between Charlton and Hull City at The Valley,^[15] one of Danny Mills' last appearances on loan for the home side. The player's four month deal was about to expire, but he compounded his situation by getting sent off by Bates in the 72nd minute for "muttering far from glad tidings" towards him, and didn't play for them again. Fellow player Chris Powell told the Daily Mail: "That's the end of his loan. I don't think we'll be seeing him in a red shirt again unless he comes permanently. And that's a shame because he's been really good around the place, he's a lively character and totally different to how he is on match days.

In many football league games, Bates has been known to make poor decisions which is yet to be looked upon by the football league. He demonstrated this in the first leg, semi-final play off game, to gain promotion to the Championship, between Leeds United and Carlisle United. Leeds United had many valid handball calls and just as many valid penalty claims but Bates refused to give many decisions for Leeds United. Poor decisions also include corner kicks which are clearly goal kicks, which, demonstrated in the same game, resulted in the first and vital goal for Carlisle United. Bates is also known for his close approach to these games. Compared to many referees, Bates chooses to stand close to the play where as others would stand a little further back. This results in him often being struck with the ball leading to the opposing team attacking, and often scoring. This was demonstrated in the Leeds United vs Carlisle United game as well, Andrew Hughes was in possession of the ball, attempted a backwards pass but the pass didn't make it to its destination, because Bates was, as usual, too close to the play; this led to Carlisle attacking Leeds in numerous numbers but Bates refused to stop play for a drop-ball or free-kick in the possession of Leeds United.

"He puts his boots on, gets the kit on and, obviously, gets into scrapes. He plays on the edge. Players like him and Blackburn midfielder Robbie Savage are almost – especially at this time of year — like pantomime villains. People have a go at them but, generally, they deal with it."^[16]

On January 28, 2008, Bates was the referee for a 0–0 draw in the Championship between Ipswich and Plymouth where the fourth official was required to replace an assistant referee, himself so badly injured that he could not assume all the duties of the replacement at half-time. After getting caught in a collision with a player, Gary Evetts, a Football League assistant, "went flying into a photographer's pit and spent the next few minutes receiving extensive treatment. He was eventually considered not fit enough to continue". One photographer, Louise Morris from Colchester, was injured by the flying Evetts. At the interval, the public address announcer asked for "any level three officials in the ground to report to reception immediately", so that the fourth official could receive assistance in his duties.^[17] James Smith from Claydon, Suffolk, answered the call, handling all the paperwork for Evetts for the remainder of the match.^[18]

Bates' one other appointment to a "Final" was in the Football League Trophy on February 19, 2008, when he took control of the Southern Area Final first leg at the Liberty Stadium between Swansea City and MK Dons. The winners over the two-legged decider would go on to meet the victors in the Northern equivalent at Wembley Stadium on March 30, 2008. Swansea lost 1–0 to the eventual Finalists.^[19]