The referee tasked with overseeing this weekend’s North London derby is not in charge of two Premier League clubs.
Peter Banks will not referee two Premier League teams (Image: Getty Images)
Manager Peter Banks will be in charge of one of the most intense and eagerly awaited games of the season this Sunday afternoon when Tottenham take on Arsenal in the North London derby.
The Lancashire-born referee is experienced and ideally suited for such a high-stakes game, but interestingly the 43-year-old has never officiated a match between two specific Premier League clubs.
Banks, who has been a FIFA-registered referee since 2021, will assist Eddie Smart and Blake Antrobus at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The fourth official has been confirmed as Sam Ballot, while Darren England and his assistant Tim Wood will be in charge of VAR.
Originally from Merseyside, Banks’ county FA is Liverpool Football Association. That’s why he has never managed a match involving either Liverpool or Everton.
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Premier League referees must declare which football team they support and are not allowed to referee matches involving or directly affecting that club. Clubs in your immediate local area or those associated with your county’s FA are also generally avoided, even if you don’t support them.
Banks has played in 18 Premier League games this season, picking up 72 yellow cards, an average of four per game. He has also brandished three red cards, including one for two cautionable offences, while giving away five penalties in the current top-flight season.
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Given that Mikel Arteta’s side have won nine, drawn one and lost three out of 13 games with Banks in midfield, some Arsenal fans may be encouraged by his inclusion in Derby. Two of those losses were against Southampton, one in the FA Cup and the other in the league.
His most recent game in charge of Arsenal was a 1-0 win over Chelsea in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final. Prior to that, he was in charge of the 2-1 loss to Aston Villa in December and the 5-1 defeat to Manchester City in February 2025.
They have also only issued 12 yellow cards to Arsenal players and have yet to send off a Gunners star. Meanwhile, Spurs fans may not be too happy to see Banks on Sunday.
Arsenal do well when Peter Banks is in the middle (Image: Getty Images)
The referee has previously managed to infuriate several Tottenham managers, including Jose Mourinho in September 2020. Mourinho was furious at Banks for a handball call against Eric Dier during the 1-1 draw with Newcastle.
In August 2022, Banks took some wrong words from Antonio Conte after the game against West Ham. The Italian was unhappy with the handling of the penalty incident when Banks overturned an on-field decision on Aaron Cresswell and denied Spurs a penalty.
Banks was labeled as “embarrassing” after making a “very strange” decision. Most recently, manager Ange Postecoglou was furious that James Maddison was denied two penalties in the 2-1 win over Sheffield United.
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