The referees for next month’s FA Cup final have been announced, with Darren England set to take charge of Wembley’s centerpiece for the first time and his assistant make history.
Darren England to take charge of FA Cup final
Darren England has been announced as the referee for the FA Cup final, taking charge of the match for the first time ever, with his assistant making history at Wembley.
Two semi-finals were played last weekend, with Manchester City and Chelsea defeating Southampton and Leeds respectively to reach the final.
It has been confirmed that England will be in charge of those involved in the May 16th clash. Tim Wood and Akil Howson will serve as assistant referees, with the latter becoming the first black referee to appear in an FA Cup final. The fourth officer will be Sam Barot.
A potentially key role will be played by VAR, with Peter Banks given the role along with his assistant Nick Hopton. Last season, the VAR decision not to send off Crystal Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson was a huge decision.
City lost to the Eagles and won 1-0, but manager Josep Guardiola was furious and confronted Henderson at the full-time whistle. Afterwards, he did not want to talk about the incident, saying only: “I’m not the referee.”
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England have suffered refereeing losses to both Chelsea and City this season. He was a central player when Guardiola’s side lost to Brighton earlier in the season, but he has won two of Guardiola’s four games in charge. Meanwhile, the Blues handed England defeats against Leeds and Arsenal.
England had Pedro Neto sent off in the loss to the Gunners, one of 10 red cards Chelsea have received this season. He has dished out eight yellows to Blues players in four games.
Akil Howson will be one of two assistant referees
Guardiola led City to a fourth consecutive FA Cup final appearance. Since winning the title in 2023, they have lost twice to the finalists, losing to Manchester United and Palace. Meanwhile, Chelsea have not achieved FA Cup glory since 2018. The last time he played in the final was five years ago.
A victory for the Manchester team could form part of an iconic domestic treble. They have already won the Carabao Cup and are aiming to beat Arsenal in the race for the Premier League title. Guardiola previously won the domestic treble in 2019.
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