RateTheRef

Law does not say that a coin is a non-negotiable part of a Referee’s equipment and many officials use discs of various descriptions to determine which way the winner decides to play. The FA statement quotes Law incorrectly and a ban like this is totally unreasonable. Players who get away with a yellow card when they deserved red don’t get retrospective punishment for far worse than such a minor issue as this.

Apart from teams wanting to stop Liverpool attacking the Kop in the second half or strong wind or low sun affecting things most captains just stay “as we are” anyway.

FA displaying their typical crassness, failing to see the proper proportion of things and generally being humourless and craven "guardians" or our game.

Law does not say that a coin is a non-negotiable part of a Referee’s equipment and many officials use discs of various descriptions to determine which way the winner decides to play.

The Law on Referee's Equipment doesn't mention a coin but Law 8 states:

the team that wins the toss of a coin decides which goal it will attack in the first half

Another ridiculous, bordering on disgusting, decision from an ever increasingly out of touch elitist minority who couldn’t give a toss about football outside the professional game!

Reminds me of a game I refereed in 2001 between a Nottingham Forest XI and a local amateur side who were unveiling their new floodlights. As it was a 'friendly' fixture I joined in the spirit and presented both skippers with a Jaffa cake instead of a coin and said "Chocolate or sponge to decide kick off, whoever guess's right also gets to eat it". The Forest skipper (Alan Rogers) guessed correctly and when I gave it to him to eat said. "I can't eat that, if the trainer finds out i'll be for it" - so waste not want not I swallowed it.
I'd probably be disciplined nowadays and made to undertake 'healthy lifestyle' training 

Grandad Walton

In the early days of red and yellow cards I once saw Norman Glover caution a player and then lifted up and showed his notebook instead of a yellow card. Everyone, including Norman, just laughed when it happened.

For goodness sake, what is the matter with the FA? Presumably by the severity of the sanction they believe Mr McNamara has brought the game into disrepute. Well, judging by some of the shenannigans that the FA has allowed on its watch, they have a very distorted view of what makes for disrespect.

I have on many occasions forgot to take a coin out with me, when the skippers came together I was open with them and explained the situation, I would just say to the visiting skipper ends or kick off, and that would be the end of it. If the home skipper said anything, I would just say well you have home advantage let them have something, that usually got the laugh and the game went on its merry way. The 'ivorytowers' personnel should be hanging there heads over this, surely but surely there are more important issues that they have to administer than worrying about the triviality of this. However thinking about it, it is the trivial that they excel at spending time over, rather than the important issues in todays game.