A case for Anthony Taylor
And a consideration for referee criticism.
Anthony Taylor is a top tier professional football referee who has officiated Premier League matches for fourteen years as part of the Select Group referees. For eleven years he has been a listed ref with FIFA, allowing him to also officiate international matches. He is from Manchester, and started refereeing professionally at age 23.
Despite a long career, strong refereeing knowledge, and unconcerning statistics, he is hated. And not mildly. Across many Premier League teams, and fans from other leagues and nations, the vitriol and distaste for Taylor is seemingly beyond measure.
Some haters weaponize their keyboards to make banal comments about how “very bald” Taylor is. Where others take to forums and complain to bots about how he is the worst, most biased referee, and he needs to be removed from his position. Public forum hatred can always be taken to new heights, and sadly, many referees receive severe abuse and death threats online and in person. After officiating the 2023 Europa League Final between Roma and Sevilla, Taylor was berated in a parking garage by the ever-spicy, Jose Mourinho. The following day, Taylor and his family were confronted in the Budapest airport where enraged fans threw water, a chair, and hate speech on the family. Mourinho received a four game UEFA ban for his behavior.
Fan comments (Reddit) | Roma players (PA Images) | An angry Jose Mourinho on field and car park ( Adam Davy, PA Images + Sport Italia) | Taylor family at the Budapest Airport | PGMOL Statement (X.com)
Now, Anthony Taylor is far from the first or only referee to receive such harsh treatment. You can find similar dislike for Chris Kavanagh, Michael Oliver, and Mike Dean, to name a few. Referees outside the EPL do not fair much better - Brazilian referee Wilton Sampaio had heaps of criticism during the 2022 World Cup. The retired La Liga ref, Mateu Lahoz, has been subject of harsh critique throughout his career.
But regardless of which ref is amidst current backlash or why, is it truly justified? What makes a good referee compared to a bad one, and what are the checks and balances that keep refereeing a fair and consistent art?
Let’s peek behind the scenes and discuss what it takes to become a Select Group One referee.
Premier League Refereeing
Since 1863, there have been official Laws of the Game, determined by the International Football Association Board (IFAB), consisting of the four British Football Associations. FIFA joined IFAB in 1913, and now represents 207 other national soccer associations that follow these Laws of the Game.
The laws that referees follow and implement are determined through the democratic process that IFAB oversees. Refs are not only trained on these laws but they are put through extensive drills and instruction, and years of lower league officiating before being promoted to higher leagues and opportunities.
Professional Game Match Officials Limited is the managing body of referees in the Premier League, EFL, and FA competitions. PGMOL is responsible for the development, continued training, and advising of over 500 referees and assistant referees. PGMOL was created in 2001.
Most leagues in other countries supervise and assign referees through that country’s FA. UEFA, Concacaf, CONMEBOL, and other competitions, have their own selection and development process for referees during international matches and club competitions.
Anthony Taylor is currently part of PGMOL’s Select Group One - twenty officials that oversee the highest profile matches, including all Premier League games. This group of refs receives even more training - physical and technical. They have vision scientists, performance analysts, and coaches to ensure they perform at the top caliber.
Currently, a Key Match Incidents Panel reviews EPL referee outcomes and decision-making every week, for all Select Group referees. When bad calls are made, referees receive deductions to their ‘merit table’ - this can affect their financial work bonuses and determines which games they are assigned to officiate. Fewer bad calls, equals a better merit score, as well as better fixtures and more money in their pocket.
Demotions for wrong decisions is another punishment for referees. Last November, Taylor was demoted to ref in a Championship game after PGMOL determined his choice to award Newcastle a penalty against the Wolves was incorrect. Upon his return game to the Premier League, he was selected to officiate Manchester City at Chelsea.
Now, back to the man of the hour.
(theFA.com)
Referees have significant involvement and impact on every match. And the center ref makes the final call, over both assistant referees and VAR. The decisions any referee makes, and the decisions that Anthony Taylor has made during his career, can be truly consequential for teams.
In the Roma v Sevilla match I mentioned earlier, Roma lost the Europa League final in a penalty shoot out, and 13 yellow cards were shown to players during the match. The “stolen” penalty kick, as many Roma fans see it, could have granted them the opportunity to win. Allegedly, Rosetti, the UEFA Designator, said the handball should have been deemed a penalty.
Similarly, in the Euros semi-final last year, Germany were also not awarded a penalty when the ball hit Marc Cucurella in the arm in the box. Taylor did not make the call on the field, and VAR Stuart Atwell did not request review by Taylor for a “clear and obvious error.” Once again there was released documentation by UEFA that this was a bad choice, and it should have been deemed a penalty.
Cucurella Handball (X.com) | Germany defeated by Spain (Jose Breton, Pics Action)
Anthony Taylor has many accomplishments - he has been promoted through the refereeing ranks, and been hand-selected to officiate in the World Cup, FA Cup Final, Super Cup, and more. He has been appointed to officiate matches by UEFA’s Refereeing Officers who select referees and assess them for European competitions, including the Euros and Champions League. Referees are selected for other competitions based on their stats and assessed knowledge of the game. Why would he be a prime selection for the Premier League and beyond, if he was not a top caliber officiant?
Not to forget, he also was attentive and swift to act when Christian Erikson had a heart attack on the pitch in 2021.
As a human moderated sport, there will inevitably be mistakes made by referees. And there will forever be improvements to be seen within IFAB and PGMOL. But when it comes to refereeing, how many mistakes are too many? How common are mistakes that can affect the outcome of a match? And can we truly say that individual calls, that are also reviewed by additional referees, assuredly change the course of football history?
I guess, all I ask is, before you post one of these:
Or yell, “Foul!” incessantly at the screen, consider this. Anthony Taylor and his match-day crew of professional referees - with decades of combined experience, up-to-date trainings, perfect eyesight, and modern technologies - are handling these decisions. You may disagree, but to me, as bad as you think Anthony Taylor seems… he’s just not that bad.
Foot(ball) for thought:
Interesting other-side of the coin: Are we in a “post-truth era of refereeing”?
Sources: Wikipedia | BBC | Bundesliga | IFAB | NY Times
