Referee Bizarrely Blows A Kiss At Match Ball Before Fulham Vs Middlesbrough

The referee became the talk of the town ahead of Fulham's visit of Middlesbrough after he blew a kiss at the match ball.

Keith Stroud took charge of his first game of the new season in the Championship, with the fixture at Craven Cottage shown live on Sky Sports.

And the 51-year-old hit headlines as he led the two teams out onto the pitch when he blew a kiss at the ball that he then took off the stand.

The antics from Stroud were something one might come to expect from the one and only Mike Dean, who has produced a number of hilarious moments over the years.

Naturally, the superstitious act garnered a lot of reaction on social media:

Stroud has clearly adopted the gesture as his pre-match transition, though he's had to tweak it slightly.

In September 2020, also ahead of a Middlesbrough game, he picked up the ball and kissed it prior to the season opener with Watford at Vicarage Road.

The kissing the ball action isn't exactly advised in times of COVID-19 and so he has changed up his routine every so slightly.

Stroud has refereed over 300 games in the EFL and was the linesman for the 2003 FA Cup final between Arsenal and Southampton.

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Topics: Middlesbrough, Football, Fulham, championship

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

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