Stephen Graham faces FA probe after allegedly calling referee a “fucking Teletubby”

Stephen Graham faces FA probe after allegedly calling referee a “fucking Teletubby”

Stephen Graham could face an investigation from the Football Association after a rant at a referee, it’s been reported.

READ MORE: Steven Knight on ‘This Town’ and his big-budget ‘Peaky Blinders’ movie

The Line Of Duty star has been accused of calling non-league referee David Kennedy a “fucking Teletubby” and “fat useless twat” during a game between Barrow Town and Heather St John’s Reserves in Leicester while there with his son to watch his nephew play.

He was reportedly “mortified” by the outburst and “apologised profusely” to the official, who eventually stopped the match and refused to resume proceedings until Graham stepped back from the touchline.

A witness told The Sun that Graham snapped suddenly and accused him of being on a “power trip,” saying: “Look at the state of you, you fat twat.”

Graham, who rose to fame after playing Andrew “Combo” Gascoigne in 2006’s This Is England and the subsequent TV series, reportedly said in a phone call to Kennedy a couple of days later: “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.”

Maybe the “line of duty” star needs to do some Duty on the line.???
Shocking entitlement from a respected actor.

Stephen Graham faces football match ban after foul-mouthed rant at referee https://t.co/hGO8PD0YKP

— Refsupportuk (@refsupportuk) December 19, 2024

In a statement sent to Metro, Leicestershire and Rutland County FA said: “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. Offences against Match Officials are treated with the utmost seriousness – we strongly condemn any abusive or unacceptable behaviour towards our Match Officials.”

The charity Ref Support UK, which gives support to referees in grassroots football, wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Maybe the Line Of Duty star needs to do some duty on the line??? Shocking entitlement from a respected actor. “

Graham, meanwhile, plays Bruce Springsteen’s father, Douglas, in Deliver Me From Nowhere, an upcoming biopic about the rock icon, alongside Jeremy Allen White. The movie is set to be released in 2025.

The actor is also set to reprise his role as Hayden Stagg in the Peaky Blinders movie spin-off The Immortal Man, after appearing in two episodes of the show’s final sixth season.

The post Stephen Graham faces FA probe after allegedly calling referee a “fucking Teletubby” appeared first on NME.

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