Claim: Ernie Machin, who finished his playing career with Brighton & Hove Albion, became the first English football player to successfully challenge a fine and suspension by the Football Association in the English courts.
Evidence: He finished his playing career with Brighton & Hove Albion before returning to Coventry City as a coach in 1976. In 1972, he became the first English football player to successfully challenge a fine and suspension by the Football Association in the English courts.