Northern Ireland international Kelsie Burrows cleared of assaulting a match official | OneFootball

Kelsie Burrows has been cleared of assaulting a match official (Daniela Porcelli /SPP)

Northern Ireland international Kelsie Burrows has been cleared after allegations of assaulting a match official.

The incident took place after Cliftonville’s 2-0 victory over Glentoran Women on July 25th.

It was Burrows’ first appearance since the start of May after missing a large portion of the season with an ankle injury.

Burrows is the captain of Belfast-based Cliftonville and was part of the Northern Ireland squad at Euro 2022.

How Kelsie Burrows was cleared after receiving 16-match ban

The BBC initially reported on Tuesday morning that Kelsie Burrows had been banned for 16 matches due to an alleged assault on a match official.

On the Irish Football Association’s website, Burrows’ ban was listed as 16 matches for an “assault on a match official” after Cliftonville’s Women’s Premiership win against Glentoran on July 25th.

Burrows was sent off by referee Simon Bickerstaff after Cliftonville’s victory over Glentoran Women last month.

However, it has since emerged that Cliftonville submitted an “obvious error challenge” which proved to be successful.

This was successful after consideration from the County Antrim disciplinary committee and match officials, with Burrows cleared of the initial charge.

Instead, she will face a two-match ban on a reclassified offence.

Head coach Brendan Lynch has also been handed a three-match ban after “entering the field of play to confront an official”.

(Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)

What games will Burrows miss?

The ban is effective immediately and covers all competitions.

It means that Burrows will miss games against Crusaders and Lisburn Rangers.

The next football in Northern Ireland is in the Women’s Championship when Sion Swifts face Ballyclare Comrades.

Betting sites have Sion Swifts as 1/10 favourites to pick up the three points.

Who is Kelsie Burrows?

Kelsie Burrows joined Cliftonville in 2021 from Women’s Premiership rivals Linfield.

Earlier during her career, she also played for Blackburn Rovers during the 2019-20 season.

At Cliftonville, she helped the club win their first domestic title in 2022, before they completed a domestic treble in 2024.

Cliftonville are seven games into the 2025-26 season and sit third behind Glentoran and Linfield, however they have two games in hand on both clubs.

Since Burrows’ red card against Glentoran, she has featured for the club in the Women’s Champions League.

On August 3rd, Cliftonville were knocked out of the qualifying phase of the competition by Georgian side Lanchkhuti.