The Premier League has officially announced the match officials for the upcoming game between Newcastle United and AFC Bournemouth at St James’ Park on Saturday.
The referees for the upcoming Premier League match between Newcastle United and AFC Bournemouth on Saturday (3 pm kick-off) have been confirmed. Michael Salisbury will officiate the game at St James’ Park. Salisbury’s most recent match officiating Newcastle was a 2-1 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup last January.
His last Premier League match in charge included one of the most controversial VAR (Video Assistant Referee) calls of the 2022-23 season. This incident occurred during the 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace at St James’ Park. In September 2022, Newcastle believed they had scored against Crystal Palace, with Tyrick Mitchell appearing to put the ball into his own net.
During that game, a VAR intervention by Lee Mason led Michael Salisbury to disallow the goal, citing a foul by Joe Willock on Crystal Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita. Subsequent replays showed that Willock was pushed into Guaita by Mitchell, and later, PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) released a statement acknowledging an error in the decision.
The match ultimately ended in a 0-0 draw, and Lee Mason was dropped from officiating subsequent game weeks. Meanwhile, Michael Salisbury transitioned to VAR duty, a role he has consistently fulfilled this season. He served as VAR for Newcastle’s 4-4 home draw with Luton Town, during which he awarded The Hatters a penalty in the second half.
It’s worth noting that Salisbury had been removed from refereeing duties in a prior season after a controversial VAR mistake. In that instance, he failed to award Brighton & Hove Albion a penalty during a 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.
The match officials for the Newcastle United vs. AFC Bournemouth game on Saturday have been confirmed. Michael Salisbury will be the referee, assisted by Richard West and Akil Howson, with Oli Langford as the fourth official. Rob Jones will serve as the VAR, supported by Simon Bennett.
Rob Jones, the VAR for the match, has faced controversy this season, with Nottingham Forest filing a formal complaint against him. Notably, Jones issued a red card to Forest defender Willy Boly in a 3-2 defeat against Bournemouth in December for a second bookable offense. He was also on VAR duty when Forest had Joe Worrall sent off, and Manchester United were awarded a late penalty in a 3-2 defeat in August.
As Newcastle aims to extend their unbeaten run in the Premier League to four matches, manager Eddie Howe seeks his first Premier League victory over his former club, AFC Bournemouth, in three attempts.
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