A former football talent scout has been bound over to keep the peace after admitting telling a referee who is a farmer: "I hope you get foot-and-mouth."

Thomas Gerard Marron, 48, caused a match between Northern League sides, Esh Winning and Penrith, to be abandoned after hurling abuse at referee Russell Tiffin.

Durham City magistrates heard that Marron, a former talent scout for Newcastle United and Middlesbrough, was yards from the referee during the outburst in April.

Mr Tiffin was so outraged by the comment - at a time when the disease was rife in the North-east - that he abandoned the match and police were called in.

Marc Davies, prosecuting, told the court: "Mr Marron was a spectator at a football match between Esh Winning and Penrith. The referee was a Mr Tiffin.

''At half-time, it having been a somewhat scrappy match, the defendant approached Mr Tiffin who, as well as being a football referee, is a farmer. Mr Marron shouted: 'I hope you get foot-and-mouth' while he was standing a few paces away from Mr Tiffin.

"That is wholly inappropriate language, either in the circumstances, or as part of a football match."

The court heard that Marron, of Ouston, near Chester-le-Street, County Durham, was ill and had undergone a heart transplant.

His outburst led to a disciplinary hearing by Durham Football Association in which he was banned from football for three-and-a-half years.

His solicitor, John Temple, said: ''He does regret using those words. However, they were a flippant comment, there was no nastiness or malice intended in them.''

Married father-of-two, Marron, who is on disability benefit, plans to appeal against the ban, which prohibits him from going to any football ground in the country until January 2005.

A charge of threatening behaviour was dismissed but the Edinburgh-born football fanatic agreed to be bound over in the sum of £50 for three months