Anthony Taylor relegated refereeto the Second Division this weekend

The Premier League has taken the decision to relegate international referee Anthony Taylor to the Second Division for the upcoming weekend following a controversial incident from the previous weekend.

Anthony Taylor is set to officiate a match in The Championship this weekend, a lower-tier competition, as a consequence of his failure to correctly award a penalty during a game between Wolverhampton and Newcastle United in the English league last week.

During that match, Taylor awarded a penalty for an alleged foul by Hwang-Hee Chan on Fabian Schar, which, upon further review, was found not to have occurred. Surprisingly, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) did not intervene to rectify the decision. The penalty led to a 1-2 lead for Newcastle, who eventually managed to draw the game.

Wolves coach Gary O’Neil expressed his dismay, stating, “It was an absurd decision, both on the field and in the failure of VAR to intervene.”

Anthony Taylor is not just a renowned figure in English refereeing; he has also gained international recognition. He has officiated matches in prestigious tournaments like the World Cup, Champions League, and Europa League. In the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, he officiated four matches, including the Belgium-Croatia match, which ended in a 0-0 draw and resulted in Belgium’s elimination.

Furthermore, he has presided over significant matches such as the 2021 European Super Cup final, where Sevilla faced Bayern Munich, with Bayern emerging as the 2-1 victors. Taylor has also been at the helm for two FA Cup finals, both won by Arsenal, and a Carabao Cup final, in which Chelsea defeated Tottenham.

In addition to domestic competitions, he has overseen several high-profile Champions League encounters, including Porto vs. Barcelona (0-1) in the current season, PSG vs. Juventus (2-1) from the previous season, and Barcelona vs. Bayern (0-3) from the same campaign.

Taylor’s resume also boasts matches like the Club World Cup final between Real Madrid and Al-Hilal, which ended 5-3 in favor of Real Madrid, as well as the Europa League final between Sevilla and Roma, with Sevilla clinching victory in a penalty shootout, both from the last season.