Stephen Graham facing FA probe following behaviour to non-league referee
Following a non-league match between Barrow Town and Heather St John’s Reserves earlier in the month, British actor Stephen Graham is set to face an investigation from the Football Association after hurling abuse at a referee. The This is England actor was there with his son to see his nephew play at the time the incident occurred.
Played to a sparse crowd at Riverside Park in Barrow upon Soar, the match, which finished 3-0 in Barrow’s favour, was largely overshadowed by the actor making multiple comments towards the match officials. Throughout the game, Graham was reported as calling referee David Kennedy a “fat useless twat,” and a “fucking Teletubby,” among various other insults.
In fact, the abuse became so unavoidable that, at one point, Kennedy halted the game, refusing to carry on until Graham stepped away from the sidelines. In the wake of the incident, Graham was said to be “mortified”. According to a report by The Sun, the Line of Duty star later phoned the referee to apologise, allegedly saying, “I’m sorry, I don’t know what it is about football, it turns me into a Neanderthal.”
“I need to do some soul searching and work out why I behaved the way I did,” Graham is said to have added. Eyewitness sources have claimed that “nothing had even happened to make him flip out – it was like someone flicked a switch,” according to the outlet. Nevertheless, the local Football Association is said to be investigating the incident.
In a statement first reported by The Metro, the FA shared, “The Leicestershire & Rutland County FA are aware of an alleged incident from a fixture between Barrow Town and Heather St Johns, played on 14 December 2024.”
“We have been in contact with the match official to offer our support, and we are carrying out a full investigation into the matter,” the statement continues. The FA also added, “Offences against match officials are treated with the utmost seriousness – we strongly condemn any abusive or unacceptable behaviour towards our match officials.”
The match occurred while Graham was presumably taking a break from his various upcoming projects. Most notably, the actor is set to portray Bruce Springsteen’s father, Douglas Springsteen, in the upcoming Boss biopic Deliver Me From Nowhere, which is due to be released at some point in 2025. He is also set to appear in the upcoming The Immortal Man, which takes place within the darkly stylish world of Peaky Blinders.
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.