'I was living out my dream career in football – tumours mean I need to leave'

Image caption, Dan Robathan spent years climbing the football ladder as an assistant referee

It was May 2025 and life was good for Premier League and Fifa assistant referee Dan Robathan.

Years of climbing the football ladder had paid off and he was running the line at the FA Cup final between Crystal Palace and Manchester City.

But just months after this career highlight, symptoms Dan thought were sciatic nerve pain and wear and tear were revealed to be benign tumours in his spine, which needed to be operated on immediately.

"I saw a neurosurgeon who told me I had two tumours, initially I thought it was one, but it was two," Dan tells BBC Newsbeat.

"It was compressing nerves, there was a chance it could affect a motor nerve which means it could affect function in my leg.