PGMOL ‘appalled’ by abuse of referee Michael Oliver after Arsenal red card
PGMOL ‘appalled’ by abuse of referee Michael Oliver after Arsenal red card
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The referees’ body, PGMOL, has said it is appalled by the “abhorrent abuse”, including death threats, Michael Oliver and his family have received after his controversial decision to send off Myles Lewis-Skelly in Arsenal’s 1-0 victory at Wolves.
PGMOL said they have involved police after Oliver and his young children have been subjected to various threats in the wake of Saturday’s match at Molineux. Riccardo Calafiori scored the only goal after the Wolves midfielder João Gomes was given a second yellow card for a poor challenge on Jurriën Timber.
Oliver stunned both teams by giving Lewis-Skelly a first-half red card for what appeared a cynical challenge on Wolves defender Matt Doherty. The Premier League’s match centre described the incident as “serious foul play” and said the VAR, Darren England, checked and confirmed the referee’s decision.
The former head of the PGMOL, Keith Hackett, called for Oliver to be stood down following the furore. “I’d be saying to Michael Oliver, I think you need a rest and I think you’re not going to see another game in the Premier League for a couple of weeks,” Hackett told Talksport.
A statement from PGMOL on Sunday read: “We are appalled by the threats and abuse directed at Michael Oliver following the Wolverhampton Wanderers v Arsenal fixture. No official should be subject to any form of abuse, let alone the abhorrent attacks aimed at Michael and his family over the past 24 hours.
“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. Sadly, this is not the first time a match official has been forced to deal with threats in recent times.”.
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