REFEREE Anthony Taylor has been demoted to the Championship for the first time in four years.
The 45-year-old infuriated fans after awarding Newcastle a controversial penalty during a Premier League match against Wolves last weekend.
He pointed to the spot after Hwang Hee-chan brought down Fabian Schar while attempting to clear the ball.
The decision was not overturned by VAR despite a lengthy check, but both Hwang and Wolves boss Gary O’Neil were adamant that it wasn’t a penalty.
O’Neil even went as far as calling it “scandalous”.
The match finished 2-2 after Wolves came from behind twice.
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However, Taylor’s controversial first-half call overshadowed the result.
The referee has now been demoted to the Championship, where he will oversee this weekend’s match between Preston and Coventry.
It will be his first second-tier match since 2019.
Taylor is not the first Premier League official to be demoted this season.
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Assistant referee Adrian Holmes officiated Millwall’s clash with Hull last month after incorrectly deeming Luis Diaz’s goal against Tottenham to be offside – a decision that was controversially not overturned by VAR in a shock error.
Referee standards body PGMOL subsequently had to issue a grovelling apology.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
