The Football Association (FA) has suspended veteran referee match observer Brian Curson for nine weeks and fined him £200 after an independent commission found him guilty of making discriminatory remarks ahead of an EFL League One fixture last season.
According to the Daily Mail, Curson made the offensive comments about people of Asian descent in a stadium lounge before the match between Luton Town and Rotherham United on November 15, 2025.
He has also been ordered to complete a mandatory education programme and warned about his future conduct. The £200 fine is equivalent to his match fee for the day.
During a discussion about fan segregation, Curson reportedly said Chinese or Japanese people “all look the same,” before making another remark and a physical gesture mocking their height.
The FA charged him with an “Aggravated Breach” under Rule E3.2 for using insulting language relating to race, nationality or ethnic origin.
Although Curson denied the allegations and challenged the proposed sanctions, citing a 62-day delay before the FA contacted him, four witnesses gave consistent accounts of the incident.
“There was a bit of an awkward pause and Brian sat with a straight face like nothing had been said out of turn,” one witness stated in the commission’s written report.
The commission considered the two separate discriminatory remarks an aggravating factor. However, it also took into account Curson’s unblemished disciplinary record spanning more than 40 years and over 959 matches as an observer when determining the punishment.