Premier League referees and the clubs they support

• Premier League referees are always facing backlash after matches due to some extremely poor decisions despite VAR being available
• A referee cannot officiate any match that his favourite team takes part in
• Anthony Taylor, who is one of the most controversial referees, is a supporter of Altrincham

Premier League referees are always facing backlash after matches due to some extremely poor decisions despite VAR being available. We’ve seen several managers complain due to poor officiating and clubs such as Nottingham Forest go to the level of deciding to sue the officiating body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL).

As we wait to see how the Nottingham Forest case will be handled, we’ve decided to inform your about the clubs each Premier League referee supports. It is usually a requirement for the men in black to disclose the club their support during the application process.

Michael Oliver – Newcastle United

Michael Oliver. Photo/ Brentford FC.

Starting our list of Premier League referees and the clubs they support is the famous Micheal Oliver. According to sources on the web, Oliver is a big fan of Newcastle United and that’s why he has never officiated any match of the Magpies since his debut in 2010.

Anthony Taylor – Altrincham

Anthony Taylor is a well known referee who has faced criticism for making poor decisions during matches. In fact, he was demoted to the EFL towards the end of last year because of making controversial calls during games. Despite his questionable refereeing, he is one of the few British referees who have officiated both European and international fixtures. Taylor has been a life-long fan of National League side Altrincham.

Darren Bond – Wigan 

Darren Bond has supported Wigan for as long as he can remember being a football fan. Bond became a fully-fledged referee this season after replacing Andre Marriner.

Peter Bankes

Peter Bankes started his journey to being a referee at the age of 14. While we don’t know about his favourite club, Bankes doesn’t officiate Liverpool and Everton matches as he hails from Liverpool. He has also never taken charge of any match involving Tranmere Rovers.

Stuart Attwell 

Stuart Attwell is currently the longest serving referee in England’s top tier, according to GiveMeSport. He has been presiding games since 2008 but had his ability to freely officiate any match in the Premier League this season hindered after Luton Town received promotion. This is because he is a Luton fan.

Thomas Bramall

Thomas Bramall is the youngest referee in the Premier League this season. The 33-year-old also officiate matches in the EFL Championship but his allegiances remain unknown to the public.

Sunny Singh Gill

Sunny is the first British Asian to officiate a Premier League match. Info about the club he supports has not been made available to the public.

Paul Tierney

Paul Tierney has officiated over 180 matches in the Premier League. He is a well documented supporter of Wigan Athletic.

Paul Tierney. Photo/ beIN SPORTS.

John Brooks

John Brooks’s loyalty has remained a secret but he doesn’t officiate Leicester City matches due to locality. He is from Melton Mowbray.

David Coote

David Coote, who is the son of former Nottinghamshire cricketer, David Coote Sr., has been a top flight official since 2018. During the 2022-23 EFL Carabao Cup final between Manchester United and Newcastle United some fans didn’t want him to officiate the match thinking he was a Red Devils. However, the PGMOL did reveal that he is actually a Notts County supporter.

Simon Hooper

Simon Hooper is one of the most popular Premier League referees. The man from the West Country would now be following his favourite club Swindon Town in the third and fourth tier of English football had he not been a referee.

Rob Jones

Just like Peter Bankes, Robe Jones allegiances are unknown but he doesn’t officiate any match involving Liverpool and Everton.

Rob Jones. Photo/ Newcastle United.

Andrew Madley

Andrew Madley is the older brother of former Premier League referee Bobby Madley. Sources online indicate that he is a fan of Huddersfield Town, just like his older brother. He attended the Huddersfield Town School of Excellence.

Craig Pawson

Craig Pawson has been FIFA-listed since 2015, making him one of the most established Premier League referees. However, he doesn’t officiate Sheffield United games because he is a fan of the club.