THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
LONDON — Referee Mike Jones, who mistakenly awarded a goal after a shot deflected into the net off a beach ball, won’t take charge of a Premier League game this weekend.
Several former Premier League referees blamed Jones for a basic blunder after he allowed Darren Bent’s fifth-minute goal for Sunderland in a 1-0 victory over Liverpool on Saturday.
The match ball took a deflection off a red beach ball which had been thrown onto the field by a Liverpool fan. The rules of the game said he should have disallowed the goal.
Jones will take charge of a second-tier League Championship game between Peterborough and Scunthorpe on Saturday.