Michael Oliver during Arsenal’s game against Chelsea earlier this season (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Michael Oliver will reportedly not be chosen as the referee for the upcoming Premier League clash between Arsenal and Manchester City.
It seems Oliver has been deliberately moved to a different game due to concerns over his safety following threats to him and his family, according to the Times.
This follows Oliver sending off Arsenal left-back Myles Lewis-Skelly in a controversial incident last weekend when Mikel Arteta’s side won 1-0 away to Wolves.
The Gunners were down to ten men for a decent chunk of the game, so things could have gone very differently for them after what almost everyone in football has agreed was a very bad call by Oliver.
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Still, there can be absolutely no excuse for referees being made to feel unsafe taking charge of games involving a particular team, with the Times reporting that Oliver has required police protection after this latest incident.
Arsenal fans will surely feel it’s the right choice to move Michael Oliver
Oliver obviously doesn’t deserve any threats to himself or his family, but from a purely footballing perspective it looks like the right decision not to have him in charge of an Arsenal game.
The 39-year-old also attracted controversy in other recent meetings between Man City and Arsenal, sending off Leandro Trossard at the Etihad Stadium earlier this season, and failing to send off Mateo Kovacic for a bad challenge at the Emirates Stadium last term.
While there is surely no conspiracy against Arsenal, no matter what some of their fans might say, it probably is fair to question Oliver’s standards as a referee, as he arguably has shown he’s not quite at the required level for such big games.
The Times report that Oliver will instead be taking charge of Ipswich against Southampton this weekend.
