SUMMARY
- Kevin Lynch is a former soccer referee, he has officiated key matches.
- Lynch appeared for a podcast where he talks about his past soccer experiences.
In sports, respect is a two-way street, as Roy Keane learned from going head-to-head with the officials. The legendary Manchester United player and longtime Old Trafford captain was never hesitant to tell officials what he thought. Furthermore, a former referee of the Premier League has revealed the feelings of the men in black towards him.
Although players were discouraged from confronting referees to contest calls, this was a common sight anytime Keane became incensed over a ruling. Additionally, retired shot-caller Kevin Lynch has now shared his thoughts on the former Republic of Ireland talisman, who it appears was not particularly well-liked by his teammates.
View this post on Instagram
Kevin said, “I just don’t think Roy liked referees, and in fairness, we didn’t f*****g like Roy Keane. It was a fairly balanced equation, I remember refereeing him one night at Old Trafford, and he were obviously out of sorts with himself, the opposition, his own team-mates, and me.”
He further added, “Before I can get the yellow card out, Keane’s up [and] is suddenly in my face. And he looked at me and says, ‘Do you know who I f*****g well am? And as he said that, Gary Neville were walking past. And I said, ‘Gary, there’s a player here who don’t know who he is!’ And Gary says, ‘It’s Roy Keane, book the t**t.'”
However, this story shared by Kevin is completely false and no such incident had even happened. Also, Gary Neville and Roy Keane did not feature in the same game vs Stoke City back in 1993. One must always fact-check before believing such news as it seems to be that Kevin has said this to garner more views for his podcast channel “UndrTheCosh”.
Who is Kevin Lynch?
Kevin Lynch, a former soccer referee and speaker, spent over thirty years working in professional sports, refereeing some of the most well-known and controversial games of the 1990s. Lynch began working as an after-dinner speaker in 2000 after retiring. He tells tales of his time on the pitch, the well-known people he has worked with, and the contentious decisions he has made.
Double barrel recording this week.
Former referee Kevin Lynch will be in the hot seat Wednesday.
🔥Fire over any questions pic.twitter.com/RbtvgpT7yx
— UndrTheCosh (@UndrTheCosh) July 25, 2022
Mostly working as an association soccer referee for his entire career Kevin Lynch worked as an assistant referee for the Soccer Association and Soccer League Cup semifinals for over ten years. He also held numerous assignments abroad throughout the last eight years of his career.
Among his career highlights was overseeing the 1992 UEFA Cup Final between Torino and Ajax. He worked for FIFA for many years as an assistant referee and soccer speaker.
Former soccer referee Kevin Lynch admits to ‘twisting’ rules to make up for previous mistakes
Kevin Lynch, a former Soccer League referee, has acknowledged that he had bent the rules a little to make up for his errors. Lynch referred to it as “smart game management,” saying that it was the most effective method of maintaining order in intense games.
Ipswich Town were awarded an injury time penalty at Carrow Road #OnThisDay in 1995.
Until referee Kevin Lynch changed his mind. #ncfc #otbc pic.twitter.com/C6540Y0yCf
— Rewind Norwich City (@RewindNorwich) November 19, 2020
Lynch said, “I think that’s sensible game management, I’m not breaking any rules, I’m twisting them slightly but I’m not breaking them. At the end of the day I’ve got the right decision, we never wanted to have an iffy goal come from an iffy decision.”
Lynch refereed in the Soccer League during the 1980s and 90s and was a linesman for the Torino vs. Ajax 1992 UEFA Cup Final. Being the first Soccer League referee to do so, he memorably sent out five players during an ugly altercation involving Norwich City and Crystal Palace players.