The English Premier League (EPL) is arguably regarded as the best football league in the world, and this can be backed with a couple of indices revenue, attendances, television viewership, aggregation of probably the best managers and the best players coming to show case their talent in the league. One thing however that has been a recurring decimal and a cause for concern is the standard of officiating in the league.
Football is arguably the most popular sport in the world and fondly referred to as the beautiful game and it generates a lot of interest, passion and opinions. Throw into the mix level football club and you get the interesting tales of history, traditions, rivalry and banter from all sides.
A typical football fan follows his/her team with some even professing that they can do a better job than the manager of their club (never mind that some of these fans have never coached a Sunday league team talk less of reading to get their badges done). One important and key component of any football match are the officials – the referees, assistant referees, fourth officials and VARs (Video Assistant Referees) making up the cast.
Like many football fans across the world, I tuned in to watch the Wolves versus Arsenal match at Mollineux. Like most people watching the game, I was in shock when in the 43rd minute Micheal Oliver gave Myles Lewis- Skelly a straight red card for a professional foul which occurred at the edge of Wolves penalty box. By the rules of the book, it was a straight yellow card offence.
A professional foul and having played the game, we refer to it as taking one for the team. This professional foul has been committed by players severally in the league. What, however, confounded me further was hearing that VAR (Darren England was on duty) also saw nothing wrong for an obvious on-field decision that was incorrect (based on the match report and commentary). There is a school of thought that clubs who have wrong decisions made against them should not bother as those wrong calls will eventually even out over the cause of the season, I beg to disagree they don’t. I am of the view that such incorrect decisions kill the integrity of the game.
Football managers, back-room staff, players put in long hours, days to prepare for a match. All that work could easily get thrown out of the window by the incompetence or bias of a match official. This is simply unacceptable and should not be allowed. Fans pay a lot of money to watch their teams’ home and away, with some flying all over the world to support their team. There are those who wake up at odd hours in different parts of the world to follow and support their favorite team. All the resources and energy should never be allowed to be snuffed out by the blatant mistake of the match officials. You will want your team to be officiated on a level playing field.
Arsene Wenger, the legendary ex-manager of Arsenal once sarcastically said,
“When I die, I’m going to ask God, where the referees are before I choose between Heaven and hell.” Wenger, who managed Arsenal in the Premier League for twenty-two years, will surely know a thing or two about referees in my view.
Growing up watching football, I have always been of the view that no football fan wakes up in the morning of a match looking at who is going to be a referee for their game. Yes, the match officials are important and do play a critical role in upholding the integrity and the rules of the game. The first thing a typical fan will do on a matchday is to look at are the starting line-ups of their team and those on the bench as substitutes. He may then goa hard to look at the starting line-up of the opposition team. The players are the key actors in the game and rightly so hence everyone looks forward to how they perform on the day.
Over the years, I have seen improvements in the English Premier League – crowd management, matchday experience, support in the community but one exception that has been an albatross is The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the organization responsible for officiating in English football. The PGMOL has increasingly come under fire for its inconsistencies, perceived incompetence, and allegations of favoritism or corruption. While mistakes are an inevitable part of officiating, the magnitude and frequency of errors, particularly in high-profile matches, have cast serious doubts on the credibility of the PGMOL.
Among the officials frequently highlighted is referee Michael Oliver, whose controversial decisions have been scrutinised extensively. If you go on social media, you will see a couple of video compilations of some of his controversial decisions. I have decided to highlight some of them.
Michael Oliver’s Mistakes: Examples of Poor Refereeing
- Real Madrid vs. Juventus (2018 UEFA Champions League Quarterfinal)
Michael Oliver was at the center of global controversy when he awarded Real Madrid a stoppage-time penalty in the second leg of the quarterfinal. The decision came after Medhi Benatia was judged to have fouled Lucas Vazquez inside the box. Juventus had clawed back from a 3-0 deficit, and the penalty effectively ended their hopes of advancing. The incident sparked outrage among Juventus fans and players, with goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon labeling Oliver’s decision as lacking common sense of humanity. Many pundits argued the contact was minimal and did not warrant such a game-defining call.
- Tottenham Hotspur vs. Chelsea (2019 Carabao Cup)
Michael Oliver’s decision to award Tottenham a contentious penalty during the first leg of the Carabao Cup semifinal raised eyebrows. Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga was adjudged to have fouled Harry Kane, but replays suggested that Kane might have been offside before the incident. VAR was used, but inconsistencies in camera angles and interpretations fueled debate about whether the correct decision was made. Critics pointed out that the PGMOL’s reliance on unclear VAR evidence added to the confusion rather than clarifying the situation.
- Manchester United vs. Brighton (2023)
In a Premier League clash between Manchester United and Brighton, Oliver’s officiating drew heavy criticism for his failure to award Brighton a penalty after a clear foul on Kaoru Mitoma in the box. Despite VAR being available, no review was initiated, leaving fans and pundits baffled. Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi openly questioned the consistency of refereeing decisions, highlighting how such errors can significantly impact the team’s performances and league standings.
- Arsenal vs. Liverpool (2022)
In another contentious match, Oliver allowed play to continue despite what many believed was a clear foul on Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus in the build-up to a Liverpool goal. The decision was unreviewed by VAR, leading Arsenal fans to accuse the referee of bias. This incident exemplified the inconsistencies in decision-making that continue to plague the PGMOL.
Broader Criticism of PGMOL
The controversies involving Michael Oliver are not isolated cases but symptomatic of a broader issue within the PGMOL. Several key factors contribute to the growing distrust of the organization:
- Inconsistency in Decision-Making
Referees often apply rules differently in similar situations, creating confusion among players, managers, and fans. For instance, handball decisions or penalties for minimal contact are often interpreted differently, depending on the referee and the teams involved. If you have ever watched UEFA matches, you will see how promptly and consistently the decisions are made, which is refreshingly different from the Premier League.
- Lack of Transparency
The PGMOL has long been criticized for its lack of accountability. Unlike other sports, where officials are publicly held to account for errors, Premier League referees rarely explain their decisions. This lack of transparency fuels suspicions of bias or corruption. Recently the head of PGMOL, Howard Webb, started a show on Sky Sports and rather than address issues his explanations have left the audience more befuddled and in shock.
On October 10, 2023, Howard Webb on Sky Sports public admitted that “[The Referee- Micheal Oliver] doesn’t want to have a negative impact of the game by overreacting.” The tackle by Manchester City’s Mateo Kovacic was a straight red card. No but’s or ifs. A red card would have been the correct application of the law. As at the time of writing this article there has been no punishment for Micheal Oliver and PGMOL has not deemed it fit to retrace itself despite the unanimous decision by the Independent Commission stating that referee had made an obvious error in the sending of Myles Lewis-Skelly.
- VAR Mismanagement
VAR, introduced to reduce errors, has ironically magnified them in many cases due to poor implementation and inconsistent usage in England. The system’s inability to definitively clarify key moments often leads to further controversy. I must say that in other major leagues that have adopted VAR we don’t see some of the circus we witness in the Premier League. The UEFA matches are always a joy to behold – prompt use of VAR, decisions taken promptly and where the referees need to check things out it is done without fanfare, and match is back underway. The semi-automated offside is another example like the goal line technology, a game changer that has solved some controversial issues, yet in England the PGMOL has been foot dragging on implementing this.
Allegations of Corruption
Accusations of favoritism and corruption have also been levied against the PGMOL, with critics alleging that certain teams are favored in high stakes matches. While concrete evidence has yet been provided to substantiate this, the pattern of contentious decisions favoring certain top-tier clubs has led many to question the integrity of the organization.
It was widely reportedly in 2023 how a group of PGMOL Officials (including Michael Oliver) travelled to United Arab Emirate (UAE) to take charge of a match between Sharjah and Al-Ain – Oliver as referee, Stuart Burt and Daniel Cook as assistants and Darren England as VAR. This is a clear case of conflict of interest. If you had been in the school of thought and wanted to give the officials the benefits of doubt, having these referees on the payroll of another league with very close links to the ownership of Premier League clubs puts a dent on the integrity of such officials. Former referees (Keith Hackett and Mark Hasley are epitome) have spoken up and have occasionally come forward to reveal internal biases and pressures, further tarnishing the PGMOL’s reputation.
Back to the Myles Lewis-Skelly red card decision, what PGMOL did not envisage was the all-round condemnation by practically everyone – most pundits, fans of rival clubs, ex-players, journalists etc. The facts also speaks for itself – in 50+ matches Michael Oliver had given a staggering 8 number of red cards to Arsenal compared to none to a club like Manchester City (two incidents that readily comes to mind without researching are the Kovacic bad tackle on Odegaard and Doku high foot tackle on MacAllister which was not even given as a foul – the irony of the Doku high foot incident is that particular challenge with the actual incident picture is used on the Premier League website as ‘Additional guidance High foot challenges’ and it just makes you wonder.
Rather than the PGMOL, based on the unanimous feedback on red card to Myles Lewis-Skelly being an obvious error, they have doubled down and rolled out a public relations machine. PGMOL went on to issue a report on the abuse of Micheal Oliver and threats of officials. It must be stated that abuse of whatever type of officials, players, managers, journalists and fans is not allowed and must be condemned.
Such issues must be reported to the relevant authorities and dealt with appropriately. A case in point is how swiftly the identity of the young lap that abused Kai Havertz, and his partner was dealt with. What we must not also allow is individuals trying to hide under abuse when it clearly shows they have failed in their duties. The timing of David Coote’s coming out to grant an interview is not lost on some of us.
David Coote’s leaked video in 2024 had him calling Liverpool sh*t and Jurgen Klopp a c*unt and f*ucking arrogant person. The evidence in that video could have been explained as AI manipulation but the source who leaked it and the circumstances of it with some forensic information available left PGMOL no option but to react by investigating and terminating David Coote. To the best of my knowledge PGMOL issued no public apology to Liverpool or Jurgen Klopp on this matter. That speaks volumes.
PGMOL’s actions over the years have worsened the situation of things that a vote of no confidence has now been passed by most football fans. The defensiveness over mistakes by rarely admitting errors, PGMOL discourages referees and VAR officials from owning mistakes and learning from them.
There is also an issue of reinforcing hierarchy which does not augur well for PGMOL’s frequent defense of senior referees which in effect reinforces power imbalances. On the Myles Lewis-Skelly red card, was Darren England on VAR duty afraid to call the attention of his senior colleague Michael Oliver that he got the on-field call wrong? Did Oliver ignore him? Questions and many questions begging for answers.
Another major issue that permeates the PGMOL is lack of accountability. Without visible consequences for repeated mistakes, trust in officiating erodes, and the system appears more concerned with protecting reputations than ensuring fairness.
Incompetence and dishonesty within the PGMOL, exemplified by controversial decisions made by referees like Michael Oliver, pose significant challenges to the integrity of football. By embracing technology, enhancing transparency, and fostering continuous professional development, referees can better manage matches and uphold the principles of fairness and justice. As the beautiful game evolves, so must the systems that govern it, ensuring that the spirit of competition is preserved for future generations.
Bimboh Adekoya is a well-travelled football fan that loves the beautiful game.
