Bobby Madley has never spoken about this side of his life in public and, now he feels ready to tell his story in full, he wants to make the point that he is not looking for sympathy. He makes that point several times, in fact, when plainly, it isn’t easy for him to be starting a discussion about the mental health of referees and how, on a personal level, depression brought him to the darkest moments of his life.



There were times, he says, when he found himself wondering whether it was worth carrying on and, though he avoids using the specific word, he is talking about contemplating suicide. “I haven’t gone into detail before about how deep it got for me and how dark it became,” he says. “I didn’t want to do that because I was worried I might be accused of over-dramatising or sensationalising it.”



Ultimately, though, he knows it is important for him to speak out when, until now, there has never really been any emphasis on how...