Graham Poll says he quit refereeing after a row with The FA over his bust-up with England skipper John Terry.
The 43-year-old official has decided to take early retirement and blames FA chief executive Brian Barwick for his decision to quit.
Poll insists referees are not being protected by The FA from abuse by players and managers.
"Where referees were once authority figures they are now targets for managers and players who psychologically batter them in the quest to win at all costs," Poll told The Sun.
Poll says he became disillusioned with the game after the FA compliance unit asked him to explain his actions following his decision to send Terry off for two bookable offences in Chelsea's match against Spurs last November.
Terry, who was later charged and fined £10,000, claimed Poll had told him to "F*** off" and said the official changed his mind over the decision for showing him the red card.
There were also allegations that Poll told two Chelsea players 'your discipline is out of order and you need to be taught a lesson.'
But the Tring-based official disagreed with Chelsea and Terry's version of events
"If you ask me 'Did you say that to him?' all you need is for me to say no. Full
stop, move on, charge John Terry, charge Ashley Cole, charge Frank Lampard, charge Jose Mourinho," he explained.
"Referees should be seen as absolutely innocent until proven absolutely guilty because we have to protect that institution."
But Poll claims he received no support in a telephone conversation with Barwick and that was the final straw.
He added: "At that moment he was saying goodbye to my career. I sat there and thought 'this is going nowhere, this is me being abused again and again and again'.
"My credibility was stripped not by Chelsea trying it on but by The FA letting them try it on
There goes Chelsea and referees again. And the FA fail to back the referee. I'm not his biggest fan but how many referees are Chelsea going to intimidate. And the same pressure was put on the referee for the FA CUP Final thats why he was being a twat to the players. Well done Mourinho and co
The 43-year-old official has decided to take early retirement and blames FA chief executive Brian Barwick for his decision to quit.
Poll insists referees are not being protected by The FA from abuse by players and managers.
"Where referees were once authority figures they are now targets for managers and players who psychologically batter them in the quest to win at all costs," Poll told The Sun.
Poll says he became disillusioned with the game after the FA compliance unit asked him to explain his actions following his decision to send Terry off for two bookable offences in Chelsea's match against Spurs last November.
Terry, who was later charged and fined £10,000, claimed Poll had told him to "F*** off" and said the official changed his mind over the decision for showing him the red card.
There were also allegations that Poll told two Chelsea players 'your discipline is out of order and you need to be taught a lesson.'
But the Tring-based official disagreed with Chelsea and Terry's version of events
"If you ask me 'Did you say that to him?' all you need is for me to say no. Full
stop, move on, charge John Terry, charge Ashley Cole, charge Frank Lampard, charge Jose Mourinho," he explained.
"Referees should be seen as absolutely innocent until proven absolutely guilty because we have to protect that institution."
But Poll claims he received no support in a telephone conversation with Barwick and that was the final straw.
He added: "At that moment he was saying goodbye to my career. I sat there and thought 'this is going nowhere, this is me being abused again and again and again'.
"My credibility was stripped not by Chelsea trying it on but by The FA letting them try it on
There goes Chelsea and referees again. And the FA fail to back the referee. I'm not his biggest fan but how many referees are Chelsea going to intimidate. And the same pressure was put on the referee for the FA CUP Final thats why he was being a twat to the players. Well done Mourinho and co
!!!!!
