FA Suspends Referee David McNamara After Playing 'Rock, Paper, Scissors' Instead Of Coin Toss

A referee has been given a three-week suspension after deciding who kicked a match off via a game of rock, paper, scissors after forgetting his coin.

David McNamara was in charge of a Women's Super League game against Manchester City and Reading on 26 October when he accidently left the coin in his dressing room.

A coin toss is a requirement under the laws of the game, and FA women's refereeing manager Joanna Simpson told The Times: "The referee forgot his coin and, in that moment, in a TV game, he was really pushed for time.

"He should have been more prepared, he should have had a coin. It was disappointing, it's not appropriate, it's very unprofessional. "

The incident involved England and City captain Steph Houghton and Reading skipper Kirsty Pearce and the game ended one-a-piece.

McNamara will be suspended from Monday, 26 November to Sunday, 16 December.

An FA spokesperson said: "The FA can confirm the referee David McNamara has been suspended for 21 days, starting from Monday 26 November, after accepting a charge of 'not acting in the best interests of the game'.

"This follows an incident in the FA WSL match between Manchester City and Reading on Friday 26 October when he failed to determine which team would kick off the match by the toss of a coin, as required by the Laws of the Game."