Sometimes you get the feeling that as a referee if you could go through a Premier League game unnoticed, you must have done a commendable job, such is the level of scrutiny.
Let’s take a look at 3 Premier League referees who have come under widespread criticism and whom the fans would want to retire.
1. Mike Dean
Mike Dean has earned himself a name for being probably the most controversial referee in England.
While intense scrutiny and criticism are part and parcel of officiating at the highest stage, the 52-year-old from Wirral has a unique ability to unite a remarkable number of diverse groups and sections against him.
Pioneer of the no-look yellow card, it seems as if Dean derives a strange pleasure from infuriating opposition fans. More than anything else, he has a bitter history with Arsenal fans, with the Gunners being at the receiving end of many controversial calls over the years.
Mike Dean was accused of celebrating Louis Saha’s opening goal in the north London derby in 2012, a move that led to widespread speculation of him being a Spurs fan. Arsenal eventually won the fixture 5-2.
His controversy with the north-London club did not end there as in 2015, he sent off both Gabriel and Santi Cazorla under bizarre circumstances which resulted in a 2-0 defeat for the Gunners at Stamford Bridge.
His on-field actions enraged the supporters so much that in the aftermath of that game, they filed a petition with over 100,000 signatures calling for Dean to be barred from officiating Arsenal games.
Arsenal have a win percentage of 46, having won only 34 out of the 73 matches in which Dean has been in charge. No wonder Arsenal fans would be delighted to see him retire!
2. Martin Atkinson
A member of the elite panel of referees in the Premier League for 15 years, Martin Atkinson has been at the centre of quite a number of controversies over the years.
To be fair, when you are officiating regularly in the big games as Atkinson inevitably does, you are bound to attract some criticism one way or another with so much at stake for the big clubs. However, as history has it, Liverpool strangely seem to have copped the majority of the human errors that have come from the 49-year-old.
Liverpool fans still believe that his poor decisions partly cost the Reds the Premier League title last season.
He certainly should have shown Vincent Kompany a red card for an awful challenge on Mo Salah during the game against Manchester City last term and it was Atkinson who robbed Liverpool of a clear penalty on Naby Keita against Leicester City in a 1-1 home draw.
He has not been shy of controversy this season either, with the latest episode coming in Liverpool’s 2-1 victory against Brighton at Anfield.
While he was right to send off Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker for handling the ball outside the penalty box, what followed the red card could merely be termed as a momentary brain fade.
As Adrian, who came on to replace Alisson was organizing his wall, standing outside the left post, Atkinson blew his whistle and allowed Lewis Dunk to simply pass the ball into the unguarded left side of the goal.
The bemused Liverpool fans took to social media to make their feelings heard. While one fan tweeted, “Cannot fathom as to why Martin Atkinson is still allowed to officiate matches” another sarcastically added, “I’m having a party when Martin Atkinson retires.”
3. Jonathan Moss
Born in Sunderland, the 49-year-old has come under the cosh lately for his alleged dubious actions in the Premier League this season.
Bournemouth’s players were left disappointed by the referee’s behaviour following their 2-1 home defeat against Sheffield United. They made sensational claims that Moss mocked and taunted the Cherries about their battle against relegation.
Midfielder Dan Gosling hit out at the referee publicly for making “sarky” and “disrespectful” comments at the Bournemouth players during the game.
He was quoted saying, “I thought it was very disrespectful what he was saying. It was just the little niggly ones and then the little sarky comments. The officials talk about respect at the start of the season and there was zero respect from Jon Moss on Sunday.”
“I think he should really come out and apologize because I thought he was a disgrace”, the 30-year-old added.
While the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) refused to make any comments on the incident and Moss managed to escape scot-free, there should be no room for such instances on the football pitch, not least when the guilty party are the match officials themselves.
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