Anthony Taylor has been appointed as referee for Sunday’s Premier League title clash between Manchester City and Arsenal, despite being from Greater Manchester.
Anthony Taylor will referee Man City vs Arsenal on Sunday (Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)
Former Premier League referee Graham Scott says the appointment of Anthony Taylor to take charge of Sunday’s match between Manchester City and Arsenal will not be controversial. Taylor has been confirmed to be the referee for the all-important title clash at the Etihad Stadium.
The Gunners face City on Sunday at 4.30pm after a remarkable weekend that saw them cut the gap at the top of the table to just six points. Arsenal lost 2-1 to Bournemouth, but City beat Chelsea 3-0 in what was the biggest game of the season.
Taylor is a member of the Premier League’s executive ranks and was confirmed for the match by PGMOL on Monday. The 47-year-old hails from the Greater Manchester region and has previously been controversially featured in games against City and Manchester United.
But Scott said Taylor was a supporter of non-league side Altrincham and was therefore not biased. “When he’s picked for games involving either of the Manchester giants, there are sometimes some eyebrows raised because he lives within a few miles of both grounds,” Scott told The Athletic.
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“However, his support for his hometown club Altrincham is genuine and not convenient, and he has no allegiance to City or United.”Referees must tell PGMOL who they support, which would prevent them from working on matches involving their own team or rivals.
“Anthony has always been an Altricombe fan,” Altricombe boss Graham Lawrie previously told The Athletic. “He still gets season tickets every year, even though he can’t go to every game.
“People around here always ask if you’re red or blue. In fact, he’s a great champion of non-league football and he should be celebrated, not criticized.”
Anthony Taylor regularly oversees matches between Manchester City and Manchester United (Image: Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)
Taylor has already taken charge of matches between City and United this season. He is highly experienced having managed 426 games during his career and is one of two Premier League referees, along with Michael Oliver, selected by FIFA to officiate this summer’s World Cup.
Scott, who retired as referee at the end of the 2024/25 season, added: “Anthony Taylor’s appointment as a candidate for this weekend’s title decider is not surprising given the scale of this match, Taylor’s stature and recent form. The assignment would have been made weeks ago to keep him away from both teams’ recent matches.”
“Other nominees for games of the season were Michael Oliver, who refereed Arsenal vs. Bournemouth on Saturday, and Chris Kavanagh, who refereed City’s game against Chelsea.
“Taylor produced an exemplary performance in last month’s derby between Newcastle United and Sunderland and drew praise for giving Liverpool the advantage before scoring his first goal against Fulham at the weekend.”
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