Ref: Player asked me to book him, so I did

CAUTION Mark Halsey RETIRED referee Mark Halsey has admitted booking a player who begged him for a yellow card.

The unnamed star wanted to get a suspension so that he would not miss a crucial derby match later.

The Premier League veteran told CNN Sport: “[He] said, ‘Listen, we’ve got a game on Tuesday. If I don’t get cautioned now and get one Tuesday, I’ll miss the derby on the Saturday.

“So he asked me if I could show a yellow. And I did it, actually.

“I said to him, ‘We’ve got 10 minutes to go, when I give a free kick against you’ – and I knew I would because he’s that sort of player – ‘just leather the ball 50 yards away and I can caution you for dissent’.”

The ref added: “He came up to me at the end of the game and said, ‘Thanks for that, Mark’.”

Halsey retired in 2013 after 14 years in the Premier League.