Anthony Taylor Demoted to Refereeing Duties in the Championship After Major Error
Anthony Taylor, who was set to serve as fourth official for Luton vs. Liverpool this weekend, has been demoted to refereeing duties in the Championship instead. Andy Madley will take his place as fourth official for the 4.30pm kickoff on Sunday.
Taylor’s demotion comes as punishment for a major error in Wolves 2-2 Newcastle last Saturday. The two sides were tied at 1-1 when Hwang Hee-chan was adjudged to have brought down Fabian Schar in the penalty box, resulting in a lengthy VAR check and a penalty awarded to Newcastle, even though replays showed Hwang did not make enough contact with the Swiss defender.
Wolves manager Gary O’Neil was rightly furious with the decision, saying “It was a scandalous decision. It was a terrible on-field decision, and terrible that VAR didn’t intervene so I thought they got it badly wrong.”
In his pre-match press conference on Friday, O’Neil joked that officials “need to be careful” when refereeing Wolves games, saying “I think Anthony Taylor’s doing the Championship game this weekend – that’s three referees who’ve been relegated on the back of refereeing us. So you need to be careful when you referee Wolves because you could end up getting relegated the following week!”
Taylor will referee Preston vs. Coventry in the second tier this weekend, while Jarred Gillett, who was VAR for the game, has been retained and is VAR for Fulham vs. Man United on Saturday before refereeing Nottingham Forest vs. Aston Villa on Sunday.
What Is VAR?
VAR stands for Video Assistant Referee and is a system used in football to help referees make decisions. It is used to review decisions made by the on-field referee, such as goals, penalties, red cards and offsides. The VAR team consists of a video assistant referee (VAR) and an assistant video assistant referee (AVAR). The VAR team reviews all incidents and communicates with the on-field referee via a headset.
The system has been controversial since its introduction in 2016, with many arguing that it has taken away from the spontaneity of the game and has caused too many delays. However, it has been credited with helping referees make more accurate decisions and reducing the number of incorrect calls.
Conclusion
Anthony Taylor has been demoted to refereeing duties in the Championship this weekend as punishment for a major error in Wolves 2-2 Newcastle last Saturday. The decision has been met with criticism from Wolves manager Gary O’Neil, who joked that officials “need to be careful” when refereeing Wolves games.
VAR has been credited with helping referees make more accurate decisions and reducing the number of incorrect calls, but it has also been controversial since its introduction in 2016 due to delays and taking away from the spontaneity of the game.