It’s another sad day for rugby league after the passing of former referee Fred Lindop.
Born in Wakefield in 1938, he refereed in both rugby league and rugby union.
He took charge of 22 test matches including the 1970 World Cup Final as well as five Challenge Cup Finals.
He was also the first official to take charge of a match in Russia.
In 1989 he was awarded an MBE for his services to the sport and in 2009 was inducted in the Rugby Football League’s Roll of Honour in 2009.
Remarkably, he also helped establish the University of Sheffield’s rugby league team a year before officiating in a World Cup Final: 1969.
He did some coaching as well developing players at Eastmoor in Wakefield and Oulton Raiders in Leeds.
He passed away this morning and the RFL referees twitter page has paid tribute:
@RFLReferees are saddened to hear of the passing of former Referee Fred Lindop MBE. A Grade One referee from 1967-88 he refereed the 1970 World Cup Final and 5 Challenge Cup Finals to name a few. He will be remembered as one of the greatest ever Rugby League officials. RIP Fred. pic.twitter.com/WpqZG8pFuT
— RFL Referees (@RFLReferees) January 23, 2023
Following this sad news former Super League official Richard Silverwood paid tribute to the referee who he had the pleasure of working with at the start of his career.
Silverwood said on Twitter:
“Sad news. I got into RL around 1988 just as Fred was finishing up. His excellence stood out above the rest I recall. Then, as a young referee he invited me to the Grade 1 training and meetings. He made you feel you belonged there. A legend who will be sadly missed. RIP Fred”
Sad news. I got into RL around 1988 just as Fred was finishing up. His excellence stood out above the rest I recall. Then, as a young referee he invited me to the Grade 1 training and meetings. He made you feel you belonged there. A legend who will be sadly missed. RIP Fred 🙏 https://t.co/bVcZrPtwdg
— Richard Silverwood (@SilversRef) January 23, 2023
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