So what exactly are the rules determining which games
top-flight referees are given?

For a start all officials have to declare who they support and they are never put in charge of matches involving their club.

Keith Hackett is the former head of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the organisation that makes refereeing appointments for Premier League games.

“At the beginning of every season the referees’ background information is audited,” he said.

“They complete a form that includes who they support, the history of if they’ve played the game and with the addresses where they are residing. That gives you a picture that comes into use when you’re appointing.”

The PGMOL told the BBC earlier this year that the process behind referee selection is all about avoiding “unnecessary extra external pressure and scrutiny on referees” in what is an “already a high pressure and demanding job”. Crucially, they also stated that where a referee lives is not a factor when appointments are considered.

However, they have been some glaring inconsistencies. Back in April, Kevin Friend was removed from Tottenham’s clash with Stoke because of his perceived support for Spurs’ title rivals Leicester City. Friend, a Bristol City fan, now lives in Leicestershire and had previously attended Foxes matches with friends.

[size=13pt] Martin Atkinson (Bradford) : Leeds

Stuart Attwell (Nuneaton): Luton

Mark Clattenburg (County Durham): Newcastle

Mike Dean (Wirral): Tranmere

Roger East (Wiltshire): Unknown

Kevin Friend (Bristol): Bristol City

Simon Hooper (Wiltshire): Swindon

Mike Jones (Chester): Chester

Robert Madley (Wakefield): Huddersfield

Andre Marriner (Birmingham): Aston Villa

Lee Mason (Bolton): Bolton

Jon Moss (Sunderland): Sunderland

Michael Oliver (Ashington): Newcastle

Craig Pawson (South Yorkshire): Sheffield United

Graham Scott (Oxford): Swindon

Keith Stroud (Dorset): Luton

Neil Swarbrick (Preston): Preston

Anthony Taylor (Wythenshawe): Altrincham

Paul Tierney (Wigan): Wigan [/size]

below are images of...

Michael Oliver

Mark Clattenburg

Andre Marriner

Craig Pawson




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cool

What of Steve Bennett, Howard Webb and Graham Poll?