Lengthy-serving Premier League referee Anthony Taylor is standing down after 16 years in England’s high flight on the conclusion of the World Cup.
The 47-year-old hangs up his whistle following 831 video games within the English, European and worldwide recreation, along with his ultimate match the World Cup last-16 conflict between Portugal and match winners Spain.
Domestically, Taylor refereed in each main home English cup ultimate, officiating the 2017 and 2020 FA Cup finals and the 215 League Cup ultimate, in addition to 432 Premier League matches.
He additionally served for 14 years on the FIFA worldwide listing, and was chosen to signify England at each the 2022 and 2026 World Cups.
Taylor steered his resolution to retire had been fuelled by the “intense pressure and scrutiny” he confronted within the position.
Talking in a press release by refereeing physique Professional Ref, Taylor mentioned: “Officiating at the elite level has been an immense privilege, but the pressure is intense and the scrutiny is constant. The time is now right to step aside and look forward to transitioning to the next chapter of my career.”
He was publicly focused by Roma followers at Budapest Airport in 2023 after being criticised by their then-manager Jose Mourinho following the membership’s Europa Convention League ultimate defeat by Sevilla, and final yr revealed his household not got here to matches he was officiating whereas criticising the “expectation of perfection” positioned on referees.
Taylor refereed extra Premier League video games than anybody else in 2025/26, along with his final recreation West Ham’s final-day 3-0 win over Leeds, which was not sufficient to forestall the Hammers’ relegation to the Championship.
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