Barnet manager Dean Brennan has been handed a nine-match touchline ban by the Football Association after being found guilty of making sexist comments to referee Kirsty Dowle during a League Two match in September. The incident occurred during Barnet's defeat to Shrewsbury, when Brennan was sent off for dissent and subsequently directed abusive remarks at the official.
The FA charged Brennan with an aggravated breach of rule E3.1, alleging his comments included a reference to gender. Brennan denied the charge, but an independent regulatory commission upheld it, imposing the ban, a £2,000 fine, and a mandatory education programme. This makes Brennan the first manager in English football to be banned for sexist comments towards a referee.
Brennan said: “Throughout this case I have categorically denied the FA charge of discrimination. Whilst the panel have come to their conclusion, which I have to respect, I do not agree with their decision. There is a place in football for everyone, it’s the greatest sport on the planet.”
The FA introduced a minimum five-match ban for proven discrimination cases in 2013, increased to six games in 2019. The sanction can be adjusted based on aggravating or mitigating factors. In 2022, Barrow manager Mark Cooper received an eight-game ban for abusive words to assistant referee Helen Edwards, which also referenced her gender.
