Bristol Rovers boss Joey Barton has urged ex-professional footballers to stay in the sport as referees, as he believes it would improve the standard of officiating. "We've got to get all these football people back into football in some way," Barton told Sky Sports News. "If we want better referees, who are best to referee a contest? You might not be fit enough to play elite-level football but you're still very, very fit compared to the average man on the street. "And if you've got a football experience to weigh that into your mind, we could be missing out on some of the best referees ever here."

Source: Sky sports March 29, 2021 18:11 UTC