| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Graham Laws | ||
| Born | 17 August 1961 Whitley Bay, Northumberland, England |
||
| Domestic | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| ? –1996 | Northern Premier League | Referee | |
| 1996– | Football League | Referee | |
Graham Laws (born 17 August 1961,[1] Whitley Bay, Northumberland[2]) is an English association football referee who operates in the Football League, and has previously been a fourth official in the Premier League. He has twice been to the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, as referee of a Football League playoff Final and at a Football League Trophy Final.
Graham Laws progressed through the lower leagues to referee in the Northern Premier League, before being appointed to the Football League list of referees in 1996.[3]
He has been fourth official for Eddie Wolstenholme twice in big games,[1] firstly for the FA Vase Final at Villa Park on 6 May 2001,[4] and then in the Football League Second Division playoff Final in Cardiff on 27 May 2001.[5]
He has been required, from time to time, to fulfil the role of fourth official in the Premier League,[6] such as during the Newcastle versus Wigan match at St James' Park on 19 August 2006, when Martin Atkinson was the match referee.[7]
Laws has also handled important matches involving the England national youth football team, such as their fixture against Scotland youth on 22 December 2004 at Victoria Park, Hartlepool, which finished 1–0 to England, courtesy of a David Wheater goal in the 27th minute.[8]
On 28 April 2002, he was appointed to referee a Second Division playoff semi-final first leg match between Huddersfield and Brentford, which finished 0–0.[9] This was followed on 2 May 2002 by a semi-final second leg tie between Millwall and Birmingham in the First Division playoffs. Birmingham won 1-0 to confirm their place in the Final, and subsequently the Premiership.[10] Then, on 11 May 2002, he refereed the Second Division playoff Final at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, when Stoke City beat Brentford 2–0 to gain promotion to the First Division.[11]
Ronnie Moore, then the manager of Rotherham, was highly critical of Laws after his side lost 3–2 at home to Portsmouth in the old First Division fixture on 5 October 2002.[12] In answer to the referee's issue of nine yellow cards and one red card, he commented: "It would have been a game, a hell of a game".
"One man has spoiled the game", said Moore. The main incident occurred just before half-time, "when Chris Swailes, running side by side with Svetoslav Todorov, nudged his hip into the Portsmouth forward", and the Bulgarian international fell in the penalty area. Laws awarded a penalty to Portsmouth and sent Swailes off. Referring to the referee's interpretation of the denial of a goal-scoring opportunity, Moore would only say: "If he [Todorov] could have scored from there, I'm a Dutchman".[13]
Another outspoken club boss, Stan Ternent, levelled more criticism at Graham Laws after the 2–2 FA Cup third round draw on 4 January 2003 between Grimsby and Burnley at Blundell Park.[14] Ternent, the Burnley manager at the time, felt that the award of a penalty to Grimsby for a foul on Stuart Campbell, when his side were 2–0 up, marked a "turning point in the game". "I felt it was an extremely poor decision for the penalty. There wasn't an appeal," he said. "We were fine until he (the referee) gave that decision - it was ridiculous. I think he was the only person in Humberside who could have seen it because there was no appeal anywhere." Ternent added: "I've seen the referee and he said that Mark McGregor pulled his (Campbell's) shirt, but I don't know who was more surprised, us or them."[15]
Three weeks later, the Guardian newspaper journalist Daniel Taylor described Laws as "a bewildering referee who irritated both sets of supporters"[16] after the 1–1 (old) First Division draw on 25 January 2003 at Deepdale between Preston North End and Nottingham Forest.[17]
On 10 February 2004, Laws took control of the Football League Trophy Southern Final first leg contested by Colchester and Southend at Layer Road, the home side suffering a 3–2 defeat.[18]
He was honoured with further end-of-season Playoff appointments in 2004. On 15 May 2004, he took charge of the Third Division playoff semi-final first leg at Sincil Bank between Lincoln and Huddersfield, which ended in a 2–1 away win.[19] And he then went to the Withdean Stadium on 20 May 2004 to handle the Second Division playoff semi-final second leg between Brighton and Swindon.[20]
Laws found it necessary to abandon the New Year's Day 2005 fixture between Burnley and Leicester City in the Football League Championship after 19 minutes because of "torrential rain". Both managers agreed he had done the right thing. Burnley's Steve Cotterill said: "It was a wise decision and the referee had my full support". His opposite number for Leicester, Craig Levein, concurred: "It was a good decision for it had become a bit of a lottery. It was just a matter of time before someone got injured and that is clearly not an acceptable situation. The referee was right to give it a go but it became unplayable."[21]
On 26 February 2005, managers from both sides in the Championship encounter between Preston North End and Burnley[22] felt that Laws had got a major decision wrong in awarding the home side a penalty eight minutes from the end, from which the only goal was scored, when Burnley's Lee Roche was adjudged to have pushed North End's USA international Eddie Lewis in the penalty area.
"It's not a penalty for me. At the end of the game, I said to him (Laws) that I supported the decision when he cancelled the game against Leicester on New Year's Day, but I can't support that decision," said Burnley manager Steve Cotterill. "The player was off the pitch, the ball was on its way out of play and I think if that incident had happened at the other end, in front of our fans, it wouldn't have been given." His counterpart, Billy Davies, commented: "If I was Steve, I would be saying it wasn't a penalty and it certainly looks soft. I said that to him at the time, but we were certainly appealing for it because Eddie went around their lad, but without seeing it again it looks pretty soft".[23]
Laws was man-in-the-middle when Wrexham beat Oldham 1–0 in the Football League Trophy Northern Final second leg on 8 March 2005, to progress to the national Final, which they won.[24]
He then returned to Lincoln City's ground on 14 May 2005 to take control of their League Two playoff semi-final first leg against Macclesfield, and they won 1–0 in progressing to the Final, which they lost.[25]
Further criticism came Laws' way at the start of the following season after he sent the then Derby County manager, Phil Brown, to the stands during their 2–2 away draw in the Championship at Burnley's Turf Moor on 27 August 2005.[26] Burnley had had a player dismissed earlier, but Brown was banished "for continual encroachment on to the field of play", although he defended his actions by saying: "When the ball goes into the stand it's not going to come back fast when they're down to 10 men. It just wasn't fair. I complained to the referee and he sent me off because I walked on to the pitch."[27]
At the end of that season, Laws handled the League One playoff semi-final first leg between Brentford and Swansea on 14 May 2006. Swansea won 2–0, but lost in the Final to Barnsley.[28]
Australian international player Danny Tiatto was involved in allegations of racial abuse when Leicester City played Stoke City under Laws' control at the Walkers Stadium in a Championship match on 31 October 2006.[29] Leicester's Tiatto "denied racially abusing Senegalese midfielder Salif Diao" of Stoke, saying: "It's just one of those things, heat of the moment, something said on the pitch, nothing racist whatsoever. I'm not that kind of person. The player had no problem with me and shook my hand after the game" However, Diao's team-mate, Michael Duberry, commented: "I'm not sure if the ref[eree] heard it himself but a lot of players did. And he (Tiatto) knows what he said. He should be disgusted with himself." Duberry added: "It wasn't a black or white remark, there was no mention of colour, but it's still racism." "[T]he FA revealed the match referee Graham Laws made no reference to the alleged incident in his match report", and, as Tiatto further pointed out: "No action has been taken so it's obvious from that there was no sort of racist comment made".[30]
By far the greatest honour of his career was his appointment to the Football League Trophy Final, contested by Bristol Rovers and Doncaster Rovers at the Millennium Stadium on 1 April 2007, when Doncaster triumphed 3–2 through an extra time goal by Graeme Lee.[31]
He was then at Lincoln for a third time during the end-of-season playoffs, this time in a semi-final second leg encounter against Bristol Rovers in the League Two competition on 17 May 2007, which Rovers won 5–3.[32]
Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock is said to "have a record of disagreement"[33] with Laws, and this was further tested after he dismissed Palace's Tom Soares in the 88th minute of a Championship match away to Blackpool on 20 October 2007, which ended 1–1.[34] "I've watched the incident several times and I view it as a very unlucky red card. It was a yellow at the very worst. All my player did was walk over the Blackpool lad [(Andy Welsh)] who was on the floor," complained Warnock. "It was not a deliberate act — a deliberate stamp — it was just one of those things that happen in the game of football. There were six Blackpool players around the area and none of them were screaming for a red card when the incident happened."
"Perhaps the referee wanted to do something to get noticed," he added. "He was not reacting to a linesman as the linesman was 20 yards away and hadn't said a thing."[33]
On 8 December 2007, the Championship game between Sheffield Wednesday and Coventry City at Hillsborough had to be abandoned after 28 minutes play, "due to a heavily waterlogged pitch".[35] Heavy rain had fallen since mid-morning and by kick-off at 3pm puddles were already forming on the pitch – which had deteriorated since it was totally replaced after the ground had been flooded under several feet of water in the summer. Laws explained: "It wasn't a difficult decision to start the game. Both teams were out there warming up and I received no complaints from anyone. While it wasn't ideal conditions, I certainly didn't see any reason not to start the game." He added: "But after about 15 minutes I started to receive complaints from players on both sides, saying that they couldn't pass the ball and they deemed it was becoming dangerous. You could feel the surface moving under your feet and I wasn't happy. It was reaching the point where it could have got farcical."
Nevertheless, the home manager was supportive of the referee's decision. "No complaints at all," said Wednesday's Brian Laws. "We are here to put on something that the supporters are proud of. All we would have got today is route one football and see who makes the least mistakes."[36]
In another Sheffield Wednesday home match, this time against Derby County in an FA Cup third round replay on 22 January 2008,[37] the match referee, Chris Foy, picked up a groin injury just before full time. As the score was 1–1 at that point, extra time was required and Laws, as fourth official, had to take over from him for the added thirty minutes. A request was also put out over the public address system for a qualified referee to assist Foy in fourth official duties during the deciding period.[38] As it happened, no further goals were scored, and penalties were needed to resolve the tie, Derby winning this 4–2.[37]
Carlisle United manager John Ward was unhappy with Laws during a League One match at home to Luton on 11 March 2008,[39] when the referee failed to stop play in order for the home side's Jeff Smith to receive treatment for an ankle injury. "It's nasty. He's got a massive ankle in there and I thought it was a nasty challenge," Ward said afterwards. "The onus is on the referee. It's the referee's decision to stop the game."[40]
His brother, David Laws, was also a Football League referee,[41] from 1995 to 2003.