Norman Charles Henry Burtenshaw OBE (9 February 1926 – 16 June 2023) was an English football referee, who officiated in the

English Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engl ...

and was also on the FIFA list. During his time on the list he was based in Great Yarmouth,

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. Outside of football he originally worked as a night telephonist before becoming a

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Career

Burtenshaw became a Football League referee in 1962, and achieved international status after only three seasons in 1965. In 1967, he was knocked unconscious by incensed Millwall fans following their team's 2–1 defeat by Aston Villa at

The Den The Den (previously The New Den) is a football stadium in New Cross, south-east London, and the home of Millwall Football Club. The Den is adjacent to the South London railway originating at , and a quarter of a mile from the Old Den, which i ...

. The FA dropped him from its list of referees' names submitted to FIFA in 1970. However, he had a strong season in 1970–71. Burtenshaw was given control of the

1971 FA Cup Final In the finale to the 1970–71 FA Cup season, the 1971 FA Cup Final was contested by Arsenal and Liverpool at Wembley on 8 May 1971. Arsenal won 2–1 after extra time, with all three goals coming in the added half-hour. Steve Heighway opened ...

between Arsenal and

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

. Arsenal won 2–1 after extra time. At the end of the game Burtenshaw sank to the ground in celebration "pumping his fists towards the heavens". He later explained that he had been relieved that the game hadn't gone to a replay. When Arsenal beat Benfica 6–2 a few months later, Burtenshaw's performance upset the Benfica players so much, they surrounded and threatened him at the end of the game. Burtenshaw regained his international status at the start of the 1971/72 season. Burtenshaw took charge of the 1972 League Cup Final between Stoke City and

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, and a European Cup semi-final second leg tie between Benfica and

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, which turned out to be the most senior European club appointment of his career. Burtenshaw retired at the end of the 1972–73 season, one which coincidentally saw the début of another Football League, FA Cup and FIFA referee from the same home town of Great Yarmouth – Alf Grey. Burtenshaw was appointed an Officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in the 1974 New Year Honours. Burtenshaw later became president of the Referees' Association. Burtenshaw died on 16 June 2023, at the age of 97.

References

Print

*Football League Handbooks, 1962–1970 *Rothmans Football Yearbooks, 1971–1973 *Burtenshaw, Norman (1973) ''Whose Side Are You on Ref?'', Sphere *Ionescu, Romeo (2003) ''The Complete Results & Line-Ups of the European Fairs Cup 1955–1971'', Soccer Books Limited *Ionescu, Romeo (2004) ''The Complete Results & Line-Ups of the European Champions Clubs' Cup 1955–1991'', Soccer Books Limited *Ionescu, Romeo (2004) ''The Complete Results & Line-Ups of the European Cup Winners Cup 1960–1999'', Soccer Books Limited *Ionescu, Romeo (2004) ''The Complete Results & Line-Ups of the UEFA Cup 1971–1991'', Soccer Books Limited

Internet

{{DEFAULTSORT:Burtenshaw, Norman 1926 births 2023 deaths Sportspeople from Great Yarmouth English football referees English Football League referees FA Cup final referees Officers of the Order of the British Empire