Premier League Referees Praised as World’s Best by International Experts, But Four Key Errors Exposed Throughout the Season
The presidents of the PREMIER LEAGUE are confident that they have “the finest referees in the world” — and assert that other countries share this belief.
As discussions in Spain unfold regarding potential strikes due to poor treatment from fans and clubs, the Premier League’s chief football officer emphasized that the quality of top-level officials has reached new heights.
Tony Scholes commented: “One of our main objectives is to have the top match officials globally — and we certainly do.”
“We currently have ten officials on the FIFA list, including two — Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor — who are recognized as among the top ten in the world by FIFA.
“Leagues worldwide consider our officials and our VAR implementation as benchmarks they aspire to replicate.
“That’s the international feedback we receive.”
However, both Oliver and Taylor have encountered prominent controversies this season.
Oliver issued a red card to Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly for ‘serious foul play’ in a match against Wolves last month, but the player’s three-match suspension was overturned on appeal.
Moreover, he was the VAR who advised referee David Coote to reevaluate a situation in injury time during the West Ham versus Manchester United match, which ultimately led to a late penalty being awarded — a pivotal decision that contributed to Erik ten Hag’s dismissal in October.
Additionally, Taylor’s choice to award a penalty to Brighton against Arsenal last month for an incident involving William Saliba’s ‘header’ of Joao Pedro sparked outrage among the Gunners’ camp.
Despite the backlash, that West Ham penalty represents just one of FOUR errors made following VAR intervention this season, as highlighted by the Premier League’s key match incident panel, composed of former players, managers, and referees.
The panel also noted an additional nine instances where VAR intervention was justified.
Premier League clash descends into farce as VAR counts number of players
Those four VAR errors . . .

BOURNEMOUTH 1 NEWCASTLE 1
Dango Ouattara’s late ‘winner’ was incorrectly disallowed for handball after being validated on the field.
WEST HAM 2 MAN UTD 1
The Hammers’ penalty winner in stoppage time was a result of Michael Oliver directing David Coote to review Matthijs de Ligt’s contact with Danny Ings.
EVERTON 0 BRENTFORD 0
Christian Norgaard should not have been given a red card for his challenge on keeper Jordan Pickford.
NOTTM FOREST 3 SOUTHAMPTON 2
Nikola Milenkovic’s goal was disallowed for a subjective offside against Chris Wood, but VAR should have refrained from intervening.
This statistic marks a notable decrease from the 20 mistakes observed at the same stage last season and the 25 recorded during the equivalent timeframe of 2022-23.
Scholes added: “No one underestimates the tremendous impact of even a single mistake.
“They can cost teams points, lead to changes in management, influence players’ standings, and have a significant impact on a fiercely competitive game.
“While there have been four incorrect interventions, this suggests 66 correct ones and a lowering of total errors.”
Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches its brand new membership programme – Sun Club.