Football
Anthony Taylor Pulled From Officiating Duties After Torrent of Online Abuse Following Bournemouth vs Chelsea
Charlie has years of experience having been published on leading global sports content brands such as 90min.com and FootyAccumulators. He has a wealth of experience tailored towards news, long-form content and betting, but has also garnered experience in several roles in the fintech and crypto sector.
Get to know Charlie Rhodes betterPublished18 Sep 2024
Following a record-breaking display during Bournemouth vs Chelsea last time out, Anthony Taylor has been removed from refereeing duty for matchday five.
Anthony Taylor Removed From Premier League Duty
Anthony Taylor will sit out matchday five of the Premier League season after suffering a deluge of online abuse.
It comes after Taylor – who was the head referee for Bournemouth vs Chelsea last weekend – showed 14 yellow cards, six for the former and eight for the latter. In doing so, the fixture broke the previous Premier League card record of 12 in a single match, in what was also a record-breaking gameweek with 65 bookings issued across 10 matches.
The aftermath saw Taylor suffer a wave of abuse online from disgruntled fans, who believe he lost control of an ill-tempered game.
It is not the first time Taylor has been subjected to significant abuse. He was famously public enemy number one in Rome after he and his family were confronted by furious Roma fans, following their defeat in the 2023 Europa League final.
Both Chelsea and Bournemouth will also been fined £25,000 each for receiving six or more yellow cards, in line with their disciplinary rulings.
How much is Anthony Taylor being fined for being consistently incompetent? https://t.co/aQO9VQ9Bw3
— Simon Phillips (@siphillipssport) September 15, 2024
Although Taylor will not be in the centre of the park on matchday five, he is set to be named as the fourth official for Brighton’s clash with Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
“It’s not a problem this amount of yellow cards. It is what it is. I complained about a foul on Wesley Fofana, which, for me, was quite clear,” said Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca.
“But it can happen, eight yellow cards, probably because these sort of games are about duels and fight. Sometimes the game demands the way you have to behave.”
Meanwhile, Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola said: “I will not talk about the referee. I have been talking and it is not working so I have decide now I will try the opposite and see what happens.”