‘Just doing my job’ – EFL referee reveals how he dealt with star being racially abused as he’s praised for interview

AN EFL referee says he was “just doing my job” after revealing how he dealt with the disgusting Omar Bogle racist abuse.

The disgraceful incident occurred in a League Two match on October 28 at Gillingham.

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Newport star Omar Bogle was racially abused during a game at Gillingham by a fan[/caption]

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EFL referee Tom Reeves has opened up on how he dealt with the situation[/caption]

Bogle, 30, scored two first half penalties to earn Newport County a 2-0 victory away to the Gills.

However, it was not the striker’s brace that was the main talking point from the game.

After slotting home the first spot-kick, Bogle was racially abused by a Gillingham supporter as he celebrated.

The fan ran over in front of him in the stands and made a monkey gesture.

Ben Burchell, 28, who has learning difficulties, admitted a charge of racially aggravated breach of public order at Medway Magistrates court.

He escaped a football banning order but received 40 hours of community service and was ordered to pay £200 in compensation to Bogle after pleading guilty to racially abusing the star.

Burchell was also told that he cannot attend professional football matches on his own for a period of 12 months without a carer.

Tom Reeves was the referee on that day, and now the court case has been held, he has discussed his handling of the shocking incident with Sky Sports News.

He revealed how it was the first time in his career he had dealt with a fan racially abusing a player but explained how he felt equipped to handle it following his training.

Reeves said that “alarm bells” rang when he noticed several Newport players running over to a particular section of the home end.

He was then informed about the racial abuse, which led to him approaching Bogle to get a statement from him and give it to his fourth official to make sure it was recorded and make the police and Gillingham safety officer aware.

Reeves then said that the fan had been removed from the stadium already by the time he spoke to them, allowing the official to reassure Bogle that it was being dealt with and encourage him to work with him for the remainder of the game.

Before the second penalty, Reeves also spoke with Bogle as it was in the same spot as his first.

The ref said: “I didn’t want him to celebrate in front of the same group of fans because there could be potential further problems.

“I just said to him to think about it if he scores, where he celebrates.”

He then explained how he did not want the forward’s emotions to get the better of him as he praised the forward for “working really well” with him.

Reeves went on to explain the protocol for such incidents, revealing he checked with Bogle that he was still “OK to continue” and to reassure him again just before the start of the second period.

He then got full statements from Bogle and a member of Newport’s team, who on this occasion was the assistant manager, after the game.

Reeves said: “The reason we do that is so I can report it to the FA for a full investigation.”

Ben Burchell pleaded guilty to racially abusing the forward

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Omar Bogle scored two goals during the game, both from the penalty spot[/caption]

He said: “We have a particular protocol in place that we follow and there’s certain steps that we go through from the moment the player lets you know about it all the way through to the full time whistle.”

Reeves added: “We as referees go there to referee a game of football and don’t expect anyone to go through what Omar had to.

“Actually, that night I had messages and phone calls from various people just checking up on me to make sure that I was OK.

“But for me, it was ensuring Omar was OK to get through the game, I made sure my report could be reported to the FA so a full investigation could take place.

“I was just doing my job, being professional as possible to ensure the game was fully under control and Omar was OK.”

After Sky Sports News released the interview, fans rushed to heap praise on Reeves for how he handled the ordeal.

One posted on X: “Respect to referee Tom Reeves for the brilliant interview on @SkySportsNews regarding the Newport striker Omar Bogle incident.

“Handled the racism incident perfectly.”

Another wrote: “Effective refereeing when the racists are in town. Well done Tom Reeves.”

And a third added: “A horrible incident handled expertly by Tom Reeves. Well done, Tom.”