Favoring one team or another

[Oz Referee]

I have been asked to influence the result of a game by a coach. It wasn't quite as balck and white (if you'll pardon the pun) as him saying "Here if you help us win, I'll give you x y and z". But the night before the game I say him at the local stadium where I was refereeing and he suggested that without my "help" it would be difficult for his team to compete, and that my "help" would be reciprocated.

Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep that night. I refered the game (and his team won). However, that morning I spoke to several members of the association about the coach and his "suggestion". I was informed that the best course of action was, immediately after the game, to cite the coach for "bringing the game into disrepute" as well as "conduct unbecoming/unsportsmanlike action".

About a week later the coach fronted the associations judiciary. He vigarously denined the charge and said that he had been joking, I had misintepreted his comments etc. The panel agreed that without a witness it was impossible to prove one way or another. However, they did find that there was enough doubt over his actions that he was removed from the head coaches position, and he became the assistant.

At the end of that season he quit representative basketball, and I haven't seen or heard of him for 5 years now.

A real sticky situation!