FORMER Premier League referee Howard Webb has claimed players would ask him to book them so they could be suspended from action during the busy Christmas period.
The former Premier League referee, who retired from refereeing in 2014, made the shocking allegations on BT Sport during Tuesday's Champions League coverage.
Webb, who officiated the 2010 World Cup and Champions League finals, claimed players would request bookings to ensure extra time off during the festive period in England.
"It’s not something fans will want to hear," the 45-year-old said.
Players earn a one-match ban for accruing five yellow cards, with the length of ban increasing if a player receives 10 yellow cards.
Christmas time brings a busy set of fixtures in English football, with teams often facing matches every two or three days with the Boxing Day fixture list a staple of the English season.
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Unlike most other European leagues, English teams do not have a winter break – meaning they spend much of the festive period away from their families, training and travelling to matches.
According to Webb this left some players asking him to book them.
He said: “A couple of times around about Christmas time in the Premier League players will want the time off.
“They will say a yellow card might suit my purpose.
“It's not what fans want to hear really.”
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Back in 2009, then-Premier League official Steve Bennett made a similar accusation that players had come to him and asked for bookings so they could get Christmas off.
He told an undercover reporter that players went out with the intention to get booked.
One player is alleged to have gone into Bennett’s dressing room asking for a booking on the pitch, and another asking to get booked so he didn’t have to play against a specific team.
This clip has angered many football fans, with one social media user demanding that players should be fined if they ask to be booked.
Webb, who refereed in the Premier League between 2003 - 2014, added: “As long as they don't do something stupid, maybe just a small holding offence or kicking the ball away and they might get what they want, but it's not cricket, is it?”