The referees’ body, Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), is “appalled” by the “abhorrent abuse” of referee Michael Oliver, which is mainly occurring online, after his controversial decision to give Arsenal’s 18-year-old player, Myles Lewis-Skelly, the red card during the Arsenal vs Wolves match at Molineux Stadium on 25 January.
Prior to this match, Oliver was widely considered one of the best Premier League referees and was chosen to referee at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. However, Oliver did surprise both teams by giving Lewis-Skelly a first-half red card for what appeared a cynical challenge on the Wolves defender Matt Doherty.
Even though Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta did not directly castigate Oliver, he was “absolutely fuming” over the red card. According to The Guardian, Arteta also voiced that he expects the decision to be overturned by the Football Association:
“If we cannot change actually what happened [in the game], hopefully at least it will be fair for the team, for the player and everybody what is going to happen in the next few weeks. I think it’s that obvious, maybe we don’t even need to [appeal].”
Previous England striker Alan Shearer agreed, stating the red card was “one of the worst decisions I’ve seen in a long time.”
However, despite this criticism of Oliver, the Premier League’s match centre agreed Lewis-Skelly’s challenge was “serious foul play” and said the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), Darren England, checked and confirmed Oliver’s decision.
Arsenal even finished victorious 1-0 against the Wolves - Arsenal’s Riccardo Calafiori scored the goal after the Wolves midfielder João Gomes was given a second yellow card for a poor challenge on Jurriën Timber – nonetheless, Oliver and his family, which involves young children, have been receiving abuse including death threats which triggered the commencement of police investigations.
As reported by The Guardian, PGMOL released the following statement the day after the match:
“We are appalled by the threats and abuse directed at Michael Oliver following the Wolverhampton Wanderers v Arsenal fixture. No official should be subject to any form of abuse, let alone the abhorrent attacks aimed at Michael and his family over the past 24 hours…
The police are aware, and a number of investigations have commenced. We are supporting Michael, and all those affected, and are determined to tackle this unacceptable behaviour.”
The abuse is so severe that the previous head of PGMOL, Keith Hackett, has advised Oliver to take a break from football and refereeing: “I’d be saying to Michael Oliver, I think you need a rest and I think you’re not going to see another game in the Premier League for a couple of weeks,” Hackett told TalkSport.
Furthermore, and as also said by PGMOL, “sadly, this is not the first time a match official has been forced to deal with threats in recent times.”
Although Motherwell manager Stuart Kettlewell held a different role, he recently announced his resignation after also receiving personal abuse from fans.
Fifth-placed Motherwell have gone four games without a win and have one victory in nine matches. According to Reuters, Kettlewell expressed that the abuse against him had reached a point where his family no longer wanted to attend matches.
Kettlewell also had an impressive track record. Kettlewell coached Motherwell in 92 games with a 41.3% win rate, the highest of seven managers since Stuart McCall left in 2014.
In his first season in 2023 he played a key role in steering the club to safety and came close to achieving a top-six finish, and last season they went 10 league matches without a defeat.
This term, Kettlewell guided Motherwell to their first Scottish League Cup semi-final in six years where they lost to Rangers.
Motherwell’s Chief Executive Brian Caldwell expressed:
“He had an exceptional record and has generated an impressive amount of transfer income for the club. He has been a critical factor in the development of Motherwell Academy Graduates, as well as developing young loan players during his tenure…
I was very disappointed to learn the effect this was having on his family and how he was feeling. No Manager, player, or club employee, every one of whom gives their all for the club, should feel this way.”
