'Shock': Referee earning a staggering 200 million won suspended for inappropriate conduct with a woman while married

*This content was translated by AI.

The British football world was thrown into turmoil after a married veteran referee in the EPL, earning a high salary of up to 200 million won, was suspended on suspicion of engaging in inappropriate conduct with another woman.

British media outlet 'Daily Mail' reported on the 30th (Korean time) that "Simon Bennett (41), an EPL veteran assistant referee earning an annual salary of 110,000 pounds (approximately 200 million won), has been suspended after being subjected to an internal investigation on charges of inappropriate conduct with a woman."

Particularly, the shock among local fans and officials was significant over Bennett's misconduct while he was earning a high salary as a married man with a family and competing on England's top stage. Although Bennett was included in the official EPL referee list for this season, serious concerns and complaints regarding his conduct led to an investigation, and it is reported that he has not been assigned to a single match this season since the inquiry began.

A local source told 'The Sun' that "shortly after being suspended, Bennett closed all his personal social networking service (SNS) accounts and effectively disappeared," adding that "the current investigation is focused on inappropriate conduct with one woman."

The source continued, "Referees are expected to maintain strict and high standards within the field, so they are also expected to uphold the same behavior outside the field. This incident directly contradicts the very professional ethics of being a referee, causing shock throughout the entire refereeing community. For now, we must wait for the investigation results."

Bennett worked as a teacher before transitioning to become a full-time referee. He has been active on the EPL stage since 2011 and was registered as an international referee by FIFA. As a veteran, he served as an assistant referee and video assistant referee (VAR) in major matches including the Euro 2020 finals and the FA Cup final. His last official match assignment was the final league game of last season between Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester United in May.

The English Professional Game Match Officials Limited, the FA, and Bennett himself have all declined to issue an official statement regarding this matter. The level of disciplinary action against Bennett and his future plans are expected to be finalized once the investigation concludes.

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*This content was translated by AI.