An eight-year ban has been handed to a Sunday League football manager after claims of assault from a referee.

Rochester Eagles manager Ian Aalpol was hit with the lengthy ban after an investigation from the Football Association into a “myriad of offending” during a Sunday League match.

Medway Sunday League side Rochester Eagles were playing Rainham Eagles in a game on October 24, 2021 when trouble flared after manager Mr Aalpol was sent off for persistently entering the field of play.

Following the match, the referee Mark Joy claimed he was assaulted by Mr Aalpol who was also said to have then tried to force his way into the official’s changing room.

There were five different incidents that the FA considered which included threatening and the verbal and physical abuse of the referee which were caused or occasioned by players/officials and others associated with the club.

Mr Aalpol - who had already been suspended for seven games following an earlier football incident - declined to formally respond to the latest charges. He was found guilty by the FA on the basis of the evidence they received, which included an accident & emergency report after Mr Joy attended hospital and a community resolution order issued by the police.

According to the FA disciplinary commission’s report, Aalpol was alleged to have “punched the referee in the chest at the conclusion of the fixture and tried to barge into the referee’s changing room following the assault.”

In addition, Mr Aalpol was also charged with improper conduct towards the referee. That was also proven and led to a 14-day ban to run concurrently to his eight-year suspension. His previous ban while at the same club came after a half-time verbal attack on a referee.

Match official Mr Joy completed numerous extraordinary incident report forms containing details of what took place in the October fixture. He noted that Mr Aalpol was twice cautioned for entering the field of play and dismissed. He was then verbally attacked by a substitute who he believed was Callum Kemp.

Mr Kemp admitted to the commission that he swore at the referee and that “the referee’s attitude and the way he controlled the match was appalling” and that there were “many occasions he spoke rudely to spectators.” He was said to have commented: “That was a ****** **** show ref.”

After the match the official returned to the changing rooms and found that his trainers had been ruined after being filled with water.

It was after that where it was alleged he was assaulted by Mr Aalpol, commenting that “I was pursued by a Rochester Eagles support [sic] who said 'how dare you accuse us of doing this with no proof.' He was standing right next to me with his face only cm’s away. I asked him to go away and he said no. Then Ian Aalpol the Rochester Eagles manager then ran up and thumped me in the chest. I informed him that he would be reported for this, he said so what.”

He further claimed that Mr Aalpol tried to get into his changing room with a supporter. “I pushed the door shut and then they tried barging in. I felt threatened by this behaviour and if the groundsman, a woman who had been watching the game had not intervened, the situation would have ended a lot worse.”

The Rainham Eagles manager Fred Lee said his players went to the aid of the referee who was “surrounded by several Rochester Eagles players and spectators.”

In email correspondence with Mr Aalpol, the FA reported that he said he was disappointed that the referee had accused Rochester of filling his shoes with water. “He came storming out of the changing rooms and made accusations.” He also claimed that the referee pushed his unwell and fragile father in the stomach but the commission said there were no witnesses who gave evidence to the claim.

The referee produced a letter from the A&E department of Maidstone Hospital which reported injuries that included tenderness to his chest area. He was advised to rest and take painkillers.

A police community resolution order (CRO) was used to deal with the incident. That was issued on November 3, 2021 by PC Palmer who described the incident as “after match, football referee pushed/punched in chest by the manager of team". The offence is listed as common assault and the outcome is listed as “accept responsibility for actions and cooperate with the disciplinary process.” Such resolutions are provided by the police as a quick way of dealing with low level crime.

Mr Aalpol was asked in an email why he denied the FA charge, despite the CRO, and he responded by saying he has “left all football ties, so stop messaging me regarding football."

The chair of the commission was satisfied that it is more likely than not that the match official’s trainers were deliberately soaked by an individual associated with Rochester Eagles, based on their anger in connection with the referee’s decision making throughout the fixture.

In addition, the chair did not consider Mr Aalpol’s evidence to be credible or reliable in this case “as IA unequivocally denies making contact with the referee despite this being corroborated by an independent witness and a police report whereby he has admitted liability.”

Rochester Eagles were fined £125. There is a right of appeal for all of the decisions made.