New Delhi: The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the body responsible for refereeing in English football has expressed dismay at the “abuse” which included death threats towards Michael Oliver and his family after a controversial decision saw Myle Lewis-Skyle being sent off during Arsenal’s 1-0 win against Wolverhampton Wolves. PGMOL have confirmed that they have involved police who are investigating the threats.
During Saturday’s clash, Olver had sent Lewis-Skelly off in the 43rd minute after the full-back was thought to have committed a serious foul play on Matt Doherty. The decision was supported by VAR, Darren England, but received backlash from both experts and supporters.
Arsenal manager Mike Arteta had gone on to say that the decision had left him “fuming”. Arteta has mentioned that while the outcome couldn’t be changed for the game, they hoped the decision would be overturned and didn’t even require an appeal.
Joao Gomes of the Wolves was given a Red card too for a poor challenge against Jurren Timber, which left both sides fielding ten men on the pitch. At Molineux, Riccardo Calafiori scored the only goal of the game in the 70th minute to keep Arsenal in the hunt for the title.
Even the Premier League issued a statement in support of the 39-year-old referee. They noted that referees shouldn’t be subjected to such threats and offered their absolute support for Oliver, PGMOL, and the investigation. PGMOL’s former head Kevin Hackett has said that Oliver should be relinquished of his responsibilities for at least a couple of weeks.
PGMOL’s statement in support of Michael Oliver
PGMOL Statement ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Go2gVNSzfk
— PGMOL (@FA_PGMOL) January 26, 2025
PGMOL’s statement condemned those who are responsible for showing support for Oliver calling the action “unacceptable”. Further, the organization noted that this wasn’t the first example of recent threats while supporting those affected. Mike Dean had taken time off for refereeing for a short duration in 2021 after he reported to police about receiving death threats. It happened after he had sent off West Ham United midfielder Tomas Soucek against Fulham.
Oliver is often regarded as one of the best referees in the Premier League and his resume includes being selected for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. On this occasion though he has received some backlash even from former footballs as well, with Alan Shearer calling it “the worst decision” he had seen in a while.
Michael Oliver’s controversial decision that saw Myle Lewis-Skyle sent off the field has received a lot of “abuse” from fans towards the referee and his family, forcing PGMOL to involve Police for investigation. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
