How the club each Premier League referee supports determines their schedule
- Published
Nottingham Forest’s extraordinary attack on the appointment of “Luton fan” Stuart Attwell as Video Assistant Referee for their Premier League defeat at Everton has sparked a debate over the involvement of match officials in fixtures that directly impact the club they support.
Here, Telegraph Sport outlines the rules and processes governing the appointment of those officials to such games:
Declaration of allegiances
Every official must declare any allegiances they have with a club, whether that is simply supporting a certain team or any other connection that could be considered a conflict. They must also declare any allegiances held by immediate family, particularly those in the same household.
Controversially, those allegiances are not publicised as a matter of course, leading to wild speculation online about who certain officials support. This is particularly acute when it comes to those based in the north-west, who are often accused of being fans of Manchester United or Liverpool.
