Ex-Premier League referee makes worrying prediction amid Michael Oliver backlash
Ex-Premier League referee makes worrying prediction amid Michael Oliver backlash
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Attacks on Michael Oliver and other officials risk “stopping the lifeblood” of new referees coming through, Dermot Gallagher has warned. Oliver and his family have been subjected to threats and abuse since he sent off Arsenal ’s Myles Lewis-Skelly at Wolves on Saturday. The Ref Support UK charity has warned “even worse is just around the corner” and said comments from players and coaches were fuelling online abuse of referees.
Now former referee Gallagher has expressed his fears about what incidents like this will do to the next generation of would-be officials. “If I was 21 again (and starting out in refereeing) my dad would say, ‘you are not going to do that. If that happens to Michael Oliver, who’s one of the best referees in the world. I am not letting you do that. it won’t happen’,” Gallagher told Sky Sports News.
“What you’re doing, you’re not actually having to go at Michael Oliver, what you’re doing, you’re stopping the lifeblood coming through behind him.” Oliver’s employer Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) condemned the “abhorrent abuse” directed at him in a social media post on Sunday evening.
“The police are aware, and a number of investigations have commenced. We are supporting Michael, and all those affected, and are determined to tackle this unacceptable behaviour,” a PGMOL spokesperson said. “Sadly, this is not the first time a match official has been forced to deal with threats in recent times. We will continue to support all investigations.”.
