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#Post#: 112108--------------------------------------------------
Injured/Absent Officials
DIR By: HChip
Date: September 24, 2026, 3:28 pm
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First International Break - let’s see who we haven’t seen so far
or for a while!
Mark Scholes - Retired
Simon Bennett - Suspended
Dan Robathan - Retired
Akil Howson - ?
Ian Hussin - ?
Hristo Karaivanov - ?
Emily Carney - Internationally only, no domestic appointments so
far
Rob Hyde - ?
Charles Breakspear - Injury - Return unknown
Aji Ajibola - Injury?
Ross Joyce - Injury/Internal Commitments
Lee Swabey - Injury/Internal Commitments
Jeremy Simpson - Injury/Internal Commitments
Melissa Burgin - Injury?
Anymore names of people we haven’t seen at all/barely seen?
#Post#: 112112--------------------------------------------------
Re: Injured/Absent Officials
DIR By: bmb
Date: September 24, 2026, 4:12 pm
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I'm sure we will hear more soon.
#Post#: 112113--------------------------------------------------
Re: Injured/Absent Officials
DIR By: Hendo
Date: September 24, 2026, 4:17 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: HChip link ---
>
> First International Break - let’s see who we haven’t seen so
far or for a while!
>
> Mark Scholes - ?
> Simon Bennett - Suspended
> Dan Robathan - Injury - Return unknown
> Akil Howson - ?
>
> Hristo Karaivanov - ?
> Emily Carney - Internationally only, no domestic appointments
so far
> Rob Hyde - ?
>
> Charles Breakspear - Injury - Return unknown
> Aji Ajibola - Injury?
> Ross Joyce - Injury/Internal Commitments
> Lee Swabey - Injury/Internal Commitments
> Jeremy Simpson - Injury/Internal Commitments
>
> Anymore names of people we haven’t seen at all/barely seen?
>
--- End Quote ---
Melissa Burgin
#Post#: 112118--------------------------------------------------
Re: Injured/Absent Officials
DIR By: Failed Ref
Date: September 25, 2026, 2:37 am
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HTML https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62kd2r65l1o
Dan Robathan has been forced to retire due to benign tumours on
his spine. My thoughts and best wishes for the future Dan. Sad
news.
#Post#: 112119--------------------------------------------------
Re: Injured/Absent Officials
DIR By: HChip
Date: September 25, 2026, 2:51 am
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Devastating. Dan was doing so well and has had such a fantastic
career, and had a very very bright future. The world can be a
very cruel place sometimes. Despite not knowing him personally,
he is one of the strongest people out there - it’s not easy at
all to get through news as heartbreaking as he had.
I wish him all the best and hope he is able to stay in the game
somehow. ❤️
#Post#: 112149--------------------------------------------------
Re: Injured/Absent Officials
DIR By: kthomas22
Date: September 25, 2026, 4:30 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: Failed Ref link ---
>
>
HTML https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c62kd2r65l1o
>
> Dan Robathan has been forced to retire due to benign tumours
on his spine. My thoughts and best wishes for the future Dan.
Sad news.
>
--- End Quote ---
Fantastic career for Robathan. Such a shame it’s had to end.
Very rare in all honesty that I notice an assistant referee, and
unfortunately the only coverage they usually get is for a
mistake.
But I remember watching Robathan when he was teamed with Mike
Dean and Darren Cann. He was absolutely fantastic. I remember
him getting some incredibly difficult decisions spot on. An FA
Cup Final and being FIFA listed are incredible achievements.
I wish him and his family the absolute best. Hopefully he can
use this and find something he can keep himself busy with. For
anyone who doesn’t know he’s quite active on Instagram so I for
one will be following his new journey closely.
#Post#: 112152--------------------------------------------------
Re: Injured/Absent Officials
DIR By: bmb
Date: September 25, 2026, 4:39 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: bmb link ---
>
> I'm sure we will hear more soon.
>
--- End Quote ---
I knew the announcement was being made today hence the above
comment, so I've had the time to get used to it.
I'm lucky enough to call Dan a friend and as such I've known for
a long time now what was happening behind the scenes. My heart
breaks for him, he'd finally got his much deserved white badge
and was on his way to the pinnacle. He put in so much hard work,
every knock back he worked even harder, perhaps in hindsight too
hard at times, he listened to every bit of feedback from his
coaches, observers etc., took it on board and acted on it, doing
everything he could to improve. I think that determination and
the resilience he built up is what will help him get through
this very tough period in his life. Seeing every knock back
during his attempted road to recovery has been hard, for him
more than anyone else, but he kept on dusting himself down and
trying everything he could to beat this and make a comeback. Now
28 years of hard work has gone in a flash and here he is dusting
himself down yet again and trying to make the best of it. I
don't know what his pathway from now is going to be but whatever
he chooses to do, he will absolutely ace it. He'll put in the
same hard work and determination and keep trying to improve.
It sucks because he is such a lovely person, he doesn't deserve
this. He's the first one to ring/text a colleague if they've had
a tough game and offer them support, rarer than you might think
in a really cut throat career, especially at the very top.
Whilst I'm gutted for him I am also so proud of him, for never
giving up, for trying every day to improve and for realising
when it was time to stop putting his body through that torture
and hang his flags up. Keep being awesome Dan, I wish you
nothing but the best for the future and yeah I'll still be there
in your ear bugging you!
#Post#: 112158--------------------------------------------------
Re: Injured/Absent Officials
DIR By: Ref25
Date: September 26, 2026, 1:27 am
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Devastated for Dan Robathan - a career cut far too short and I
wish him well / every success for the future.
Mark Scholes has retired.
The situation with the professional AR group must be challenging
and not sure what the long term plan is. Prior to the season
starting, 24 ARs were listed in the group. Sian Massey-Ellis,
Dan Robathan and Mark Scholes were in that 24 but have now left
so it is at 21.
Three other ARs listed in the original post who may not be
available currently. With 20 ARs needed a PL match round plus
VAR / AVAR coverage, we’ll see ARs who are predominantly
assigned to the Championship stepping up regularly. We’ve seen
new faces on VAR / AVAR this season and I expect more to emerge.
Perhaps for a separate discussion; I do wonder if, in a world of
VAR, there is an intention to continue with a fully contracted /
employed professional AR group for the PL only. Or does it go
the same way as the referee group - one list for PL and
Championship, but just not on full time salaries.
#Post#: 112170--------------------------------------------------
Re: Injured/Absent Officials
DIR By: TC021002
Date: September 26, 2026, 3:03 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: Ref25 link ---
>
> Devastated for Dan Robathan - a career cut far too short and I
wish him well / every success for the future.
>
> Mark Scholes has retired.
>
> The situation with the professional AR group must be
challenging and not sure what the long term plan is. Prior to
the season starting, 24 ARs were listed in the group. Sian
Massey-Ellis, Dan Robathan and Mark Scholes were in that 24 but
have now left so it is at 21.
>
> Three other ARs listed in the original post who may not be
available currently. With 20 ARs needed a PL match round plus
VAR / AVAR coverage, we’ll see ARs who are predominantly
assigned to the Championship stepping up regularly. We’ve seen
new faces on VAR / AVAR this season and I expect more to emerge.
>
> Perhaps for a separate discussion; I do wonder if, in a world
of VAR, there is an intention to continue with a fully
contracted / employed professional AR group for the PL only. Or
does it go the same way as the referee group - one list for PL
and Championship, but just not on full time salaries.
>
--- End Quote ---
HTML https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Select_Group#Premier_League
26 are listed on wikipedia
only edited to fix the quote thingamajigga, bmb
#Post#: 112218--------------------------------------------------
Re: Injured/Absent Officials
DIR By: robbieg
Date: September 27, 2026, 3:25 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
--- Quote from: bmb link ---
>
> [quote author=bmb link=topic=8425.msg112112#msg112112
date=1790284340]
> I'm sure we will hear more soon.
>
--- End Quote ---
I knew the announcement was being made today hence the above
comment, so I've had the time to get used to it.
I'm lucky enough to call Dan a friend and as such I've known for
a long time now what was happening behind the scenes. My heart
breaks for him, he'd finally got his much deserved white badge
and was on his way to the pinnacle. He put in so much hard work,
every knock back he worked even harder, perhaps in hindsight too
hard at times, he listened to every bit of feedback from his
coaches, observers etc., took it on board and acted on it, doing
everything he could to improve. I think that determination and
the resilience he built up is what will help him get through
this very tough period in his life. Seeing every knock back
during his attempted road to recovery has been hard, for him
more than anyone else, but he kept on dusting himself down and
trying everything he could to beat this and make a comeback. Now
28 years of hard work has gone in a flash and here he is dusting
himself down yet again and trying to make the best of it. I
don't know what his pathway from now is going to be but whatever
he chooses to do, he will absolutely ace it. He'll put in the
same hard work and determination and keep trying to improve.
It sucks because he is such a lovely person, he doesn't deserve
this. He's the first one to ring/text a colleague if they've had
a tough game and offer them support, rarer than you might think
in a really cut throat career, especially at the very top.
Whilst I'm gutted for him I am also so proud of him, for never
giving up, for trying every day to improve and for realising
when it was time to stop putting his body through that torture
and hang his flags up. Keep being awesome Dan, I wish you
nothing but the best for the future and yeah I'll still be there
in your ear bugging you!
[/quote]
Dan's Mother is a work colleague of mine and I endorse every
word you say.
Life can be so cruel at times.
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