Michael Oliver has been stood down from refereeing duties this weekend after the Premier League did not assign him a fixture to oversee. Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), who oversee referee appointments for the Premier League, do not comment on individual assignments. However, Oliver has not been given a game for gameweek 28, which takes place from Saturday, March 8 to Monday, March 10.
The 40-year-old has also not been assigned to carry out fourth official duties, nor will he be working from the VAR base at Stockley Park. It comes after the experienced official refereed the feisty south London derby between Crystal Palace and Milllwall, in which goalkeeper Liam Roberts was sent off for a reckless challenge on Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta. The Frenchman was taken to hospital for treatment after suffering a laceration to his ear, which required 25 stitches, amongst other head injuries.
Oliver initially did not show a red card to Roberts in the aftermath of the challenge, before VAR recommended a review on the pitchside monitor. Only then did Oliver reach for his pocket and dismiss the Millwall goalkeeper for serious foul play.
Former Premier League referee and PGMOL head Keith Hackett blasted Oliver’s failure to send off Roberts without the assistance of VAR, describing his decision as ‘appalling’.
PGMOL typically rotate between referees, but Oliver’s absence is particularly notable as he will be taking to the pitch to oversee the Champions League quarter-final first-leg tie between Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday for UEFA. While the Northumberland FA official has been the man in the middle for European games for some time, his absence from Premier League action will raise some eyebrows.
Oliver is a member of the Select Group of Referees in England and the youngest referee to take charge of a game at the age of 25. But his performances of late have generated controversy amongst top-flight bosses. He has refereed 21 Premier League games this season, dishing out 100 yellow cards and five reds.
His decision to send off Myles Lewis-Skelly during Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Wolves on January 25 saw Oliver and his family receive death threats, with police protection drafted in to ensure his safety.
He returned to work the following week for the Southampton’s 2-1 victory over Ipswich Town at Portman Road before being handed a high-stakes game between Everton and Liverpool in the Merseyside derby. But his handling of the fiery encounter once again pushed him into the spotlight after he sent off Curtis Jones and Abdoulaye Doucoure after the final whistle for provoking a huge brawl between both benches.
Liverpool boss Arne Slot and his assistant Sipke Hulshoff were also dismissed for their protests towards Oliver, for which Slot and Hulshoff were hit with a two-game touchline ban after the pair admitted to FA misconduct charges.
It is alleged that Slot told Oliver “if we don’t win the league, I’ll f***ing blame you” after he aggressively shook hands with the referee. After a turbulent five-week period, Oliver will have a rare opportunity to sit out of match duties this weekend.
