Premier League referee and Newcastle United fan Michael Oliver has been selected to officiate Arsenal’s upcoming match against Burnley. The match official appointments for the weekend have been finalized, with Oliver as the central referee, assisted by Stuart Burn and Dan Cook, while Craig Pawson will serve as the fourth official. The VAR responsibilities will be in the hands of Michael Salisbury, with Ian Hussin as the assistant VAR.
This choice of referee has garnered significant attention, given the recent controversies involving Arsenal in their match against Newcastle United last weekend. It’s worth noting that Michael Oliver openly supports Newcastle and has humorously quipped in the past, stating, “Every decision against Newcastle is a bad one. That’s the way it works.” In fact, there have been sightings of Oliver supporting Newcastle in a local pub, complete with a black and white scarf, during their match against Arsenal in May.
In light of the decisions that favored Newcastle over Arsenal in the previous game, as well as the strong comments from Arsenal’s manager Mikel Arteta on the matter, the appointment of Oliver to referee Arsenal’s next game is surprising. Despite Oliver’s reputation as one of the Premier League’s top referees, there are concerns about potential bias or controversy due to his allegiances.
It’s acknowledged that Oliver has had his share of controversial moments in recent Arsenal fixtures, including not sending off Mateo Kovacic this season and sending off Gabriel Martinelli with two yellow cards in a single sequence of play against Wolves last year. Oliver was also in charge of the eventful clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea on Monday, so it appears the Premier League has not given him a quiet week.
From an Arsenal fan’s perspective, it would be preferable for the current grievances about officiating to subside by the end of the week, but the situation doesn’t seem promising at the moment.