New Zealand referee Peter O'Leary got more than he bargained for when officiated the second half of an English Premier League match.

He attended the match between Aston Villa and Sunderland in Birmingham as a guest of top English referee Steve Bennett.

O'Leary had planned to soak up the action and watch the performance of the officials but such intentions unravelled when assistant referee Alan Williams was injured.

FNSW President Jim Forrest responds to recent criticism of the organisation by a journalist in the Sun Herald

Most of us believed that with the advent of Frank Lowy and Football Federation Australia we'd be rid of Old Football and its politics of envy, malice and negativity.

I believe there should be greater transparency and accountability, and fundamental change at Football NSW - the largest, richest and least progressive state football body in the country.

Football NSW has reaped millions of dollars in cash deposits collected, partly, from parents' levies paid to grassroots football associations, yet it continues to charge prohibitive sums for the development of talented players and provides scant resources in return for that investment.

Ian Holmes yesterday admitted he changed a referee assignment for a State League match but the Football NSW general manager said it only happened once and was done in consultation with chief executive officer Michael Quarmby.

Leading AFC officials have expressed sadness at Asian Referee of the Year Australian Mark Shield’s decision to hang up his whistle.