Troy Deeney: Ex-Forest Green Rovers boss was banned for threatening to punch official in head
- Published
Troy Deeney joined Forest Green in August in a player-coach capacity, under then head coach David Horseman
Former Forest Green head coach Troy Deeney threatened to punch a fourth official in the head during their League Two game against Swindon, leading to his four-game touchline ban.
An FA report revealed Deeney said he would hit him "if you weren't the fourth official" before being sent off.
The ex-Watford striker admitted to using the words but denied that his behaviour or language were threatening.
Deeney, 35, was sacked on 18 January hours after being given the ban.
An independent regulatory commission ruled that it was reasonable for the fourth official, Andrew Hickman, to have felt threatened by the words, and that the way Deeney caveated the words did not provide a defence.
Deeney, who was only in charge for six games, also called the official a "weasel" after being red-carded late on in the game on 29 December, the Football Association report stated.
The commission found he had sworn as he made the insult, despite denying having done so.
Prior to BBC Sport being sent the FA's written reasons for the case, Forest Green owner Dale Vince said the threat made by Deeney had contributed to his dismissal.
"The reason for the ban was abusive and threatening language and the threat was to punch in the head the fourth official. And that really was the straw, the last straw," Vince told BBC Radio 5 Live's 72+ podcast.
"When we looked at it - poor performance, abuse of the players in public, and then threatening violence to matchday officials.
"None of that we could accept as a club so he had to go."
A spokesman for Deeney said the former Watford and Birmingham captain "strongly disputed" the reasons given by Vince for his dismissal, and said that claims he threatened violence to an official were "incorrect".
During the remote hearing, Deeney apologised and said he would never be involved in a situation like this again.
He said he had used the words as Hickman had been "disrespectful" to him and that he never had any intention of actually punching him, adding that the language he used was common in the environment he had grown up in.
The official said he understood Deeney's words to mean that in any other time or place he would physically assault him.
Deeney was also fined £1,500 and told to contribute to the costs of the hearings.