Match Of The Day pundit denies abusing linesman at children's game as ex-Premier League star insists 'nothing happened' amid video leak

Former Swansea City and Everton centre-back Williams, 41, now works as a pundit and commentator for BBC Sport and Sky Sports, often appearing as a pundit on Match Of The Day. A spokesperson for Williams denied any wrongdoing and said "nothing happened" in the incident. Video footage shows the former Wales captain pointing his finger at the volunteer linesman and remonstrating with parents on the touchline.

Linesman Richard Gold, 44, told The Standard that he was abused by both the young teenage players and their parents during the match.

Mr Gold claimed that the confrontation began when he retorted "I don’t really give a sh*t if I was wrong" to abuse he was receiving in the match.

He claimed: "I then heard who turned out to be Ashley Williams say ‘don’t swear in front of my daughter’.

"I sort of put my hand up and said ‘fair enough’. But he has then carried it on, saying ‘you’re a disgrace, let’s take it outside’. That’s where other people heard it and seen that he’s acting in a threatening manner. It’s just the attitude of the man, someone who has been a professional player. I’d be no match for him in a fight. I found it intimidating to be honest.

"I called the referee over and said what had happened, adding more or less that I wasn’t willing to carry on unless he was removed from the sidelines. She removed him, in theory sent him off.

"I don’t get paid and I think what’s the point if I’m getting that from someone who’s a role model."

A mother who was at the game alleged: "Ashley said ‘I’ll meet you over there’ and pointed away from the pitch.

"People started getting angry thinking he was talking about one of the 14-year-old players. He reversed it and said ‘I’m talking to the linesman’. Either way, it was a bad situation. The referee came over and asked him to remove himself from where we were. He did that with no argument."

One father described the game as "heated". He said: "Both sets of boys were getting irate with the referee and passion was quite high. Some of the parents were shouting at her, not to abuse her, but because she was totally oblivious to the linesman raising his flag for an offside or an incident.

"Richard was being abused by one of the boys on the Bromley team and the player swore at him when he didn’t like decisions. It was very disrespectful. There was effing and blinding. I then became aware of Ashley becoming very angry. I didn’t hear what Richard said to him but I heard him [Williams] say ‘let’s take this out to the car park’.

"I went over to Ashley and said ‘what the hell is wrong with you? It’s a kids’ game of football’."

This is not the first time that Williams has been accused of improper conduct at a children’s football match, as in 2022 he was cleared of accusations that he attacked an opposition coach at an U12s game in Manchester, where his son was also playing. Despite reports he "completely lost it", an FA hearing concluded that he had been acting in self-defence.

A source close to Williams spoke of the incident at Bromley, claiming that the ex-Premier League star removed himself from the situation when "nine parents from the opposing team got their cameras out". The source denied claims that Williams was sent off by the referee.

They added: "I get that parents need to be involved or else kids’ football disintegrates but you’ve got to treat it, as Ash does, that it’s just a game."

Williams ended a 19-year professional career in 2020, following 241 Premier League appearances. He worked his way up from Hednesford Town in the Southern League Premier Division, the seventh tier of English football, through all divisions of the EFL and saw arguably the crowning moment of his career when he captained Wales to the semi-finals of Euro 2016.