Refereeing in the Premier League is a thankless job. It’s the traditional “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” scenario. It’s a horrible state of affairs when the man in the middle’s desire causes him to become nearly invisible to the viewer and those there. If the officiating goes unnoticed for the entire 90 minutes, it usually indicates that the football center-circle operator did a good job.
Unfortunately for the men in black, the old political saying from poet John Lydgate “You can please some of the people all the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all the time” certainly rings true when it comes to officiating. When it comes to supporters’ evaluations of referees and their performances, accusations of secret allegiances or preferential treatment of specific clubs are prevalent.
As with many professions, there is usually a vested interest in what one is doing, and in most cases, there is a love and shared passion. By extension, a referee usually follows a football team. While they may not be as outspoken about their support for a certain team as Mike Dean was with Tranmere Rovers, with the retiring referee a regular sight on the Prenton Park terraces, many a ref’s loyalty will be well known to fans.
With the men in the middle required to identify who they support during the application process to maintain impartiality, let’s take a closer look at who the current crop of Premier League referees support, according to an article in the Mirror.
Anthony Taylor
Altrincham
Anthony Taylor is arguably one of the most well-known referees on this season’s officiating squad. The 46-year-old, who was temporarily dropped to the Championship due to a poor decision in the 2023/24 season, began his career in the Northern Premier League as a 23-year-old, eventually climbing up the ranks and being officially appointed a Premier League referee in 2010.
Taylor has been a FIFA-registered official since 2013, with the authority to oversee both European and international matches, a distinction held by only a small number of British referees today. The stern ref hails from Wythenshawe, Manchester, and has been a lifetime fan of National League club Altrincham. He even buys a season ticket every year, despite the fact that he can only attend a few games.
Michael Oliver
Newcastle United
Footballers appear to generate footballers due to their strong genetic influence. In Michael Oliver’s instance, it appears that referees can also breed referees, as his father practiced the same trade before him. Incredibly, he imparted the officiating exercise to his 14-year-old son.
Born and reared just 15 miles north of Newcastle upon Tyne, it’s no wonder that the 40-year-old has always supported Newcastle United. Understandably, Oliver hasn’t refereed a Magpies game since his Premier League debut in 2010, regardless of the opposition.
Andrew Madley
Huddersfield Town
The 42-year-old is the older brother of former Premier League referee Bobby Madley, and he only took the field for his first Premier League game in 2019 after being promoted to the Select Group 1 referee list, so he is a relative newcomer in comparison to some of the veterans who are currently working as officials.
Andrew Madley, from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, is a big Huddersfield Town fan who, like his brother, has impressively stayed true to his roots. Now a respected man in black, he attended the Huddersfield Town School of Excellence before joining Bobby on a refereeing course at Altofts Cricket Club.
Peter Bankes
Unknown
After starting on the often thankless road of refereeing at the age of 14, Peter Bankes would have heard every insult under the sun by now. However, over 25 years later, Bankes is still frequenting football pitches in that unmistakable black kit, albeit in front of tens of thousands rather than just a man and his dog.
Bankes is from Liverpool, and who he supports is one of football’s biggest mysteries. However, considering his geographical location, an informed bet would place Bankes as a fan of the two clubs on either side of Stanley Park. Interestingly, he has never presided over a match between Liverpool, Everton, or Tranmere Rovers.
David Coote
Notts County
David Coote, like the aforementioned Bankes, has been very coy about the personal information that is publicly available about him. The Nottinghamshire native began his career as a top-flight official in 2018. He is the son of a former Nottinghamshire cricketer, David Coote Sr.
However, prior of the Carabao Cup final in 2022/23 between Manchester United and Newcastle, many were concerned that he was a Red Devil because his supposed Facebook page included a generic shot of Old Trafford as its cover photo. Subsequently, the PGMOL confirmed that his allegiances are with Nottinghamshire.
Despite this, he later faced public criticism and was suspended by the PGMOL after a video surfaced showing him slamming Liverpool and its previous manager, Jurgen Klopp. This ultimately resulted in his dismissal in December 2024.
Rob Jones
Unknown
With possibly the most frequent name on this season’s refereeing spreadsheet, Rob Jones’ life and times leave plenty to the imagination, with who he supports staying unknown. He has been a referee in the English Football League since 2016 and became a Premier League official three years later.
All we know is that Jones is from Merseyside, and his parents lacked inventiveness in naming him. You may hedge your bets based on the fact that he grew up in the northeast of England, most likely surrounded by Liverpool or Everton fans – but his allegiance is still unknown for the time being.
John Brookes
Unknown
John Brooks, who was born in the Midlands town of Melton Mowbray, home of the country’s most famous pork pie, has kept his political beliefs private. The same can be stated for his officiating approach, as the official has issued only one red card thus far in the 2023/24 season.
Brooks, another official who began his refereeing career at the age of 14, is a newcomer to the Select Group, having only joined at the start of the 2021/22 season. He is affiliated with the Leicestershire and Rutland County Football Association; who he supports is unknown, however it is worth noting that he has never refereed a Leicester City game.
Stuart Attwell
Luton Town
Stuart Attwell is currently the longest-serving referee in England’s top flight, having presided over Premier League games since 2008. After 183 Premier League appearances and almost 200 EFL games, Attwell is a seasoned professional in his 16th season as a first-division referee.
For the first time in his professional career, his loyalty to Luton Town will have a direct impact on his ability to referee the club’s games following their promotion to the Premier League ahead of the 2023/24 season. However, criticism erupted after Attwell was involved in three egregious mistakes against Nottingham Forest, Luton’s relegation rivals, in their 2-0 defeat to Everton.
Craig Pawson
Sheffield United
Craig Pawson, who has been FIFA-listed since 2015, is one of the Premier League’s most experienced referees. The 46-year-old, who is affiliated with the Sheffield & Hallamshire County Football Association, is widely regarded as one of the best referees in England’s top flight right now.
The Yorkshireman, who hails from the Steel City, is a well-known Sheffield United fan and a fixture in and around the Bramall Lane stands. Pawson made important appearances in the 2015 League Cup Final, the “spy-gate” play-off game between Leeds and Derby, and as the fourth official in the 2015 FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Aston Villa.
Darren Bond
Unknown
Refereeing is not for the faint of heart, but Darren Bond’s ability to take abuse is impressive. For much of last season, Bond wore a headband with his silvery quiff, appearing to style it after none other than Jack Grealish. Naturally, Bond opened himself up to a barrage of hair-related comments from people who disagreed with his decision-making.
The 2023/24 season marked Bond’s first opportunity as a full-fledged Premier League referee, replacing the outgoing Andre Marriner. For diplomacy, Bond’s neutrality in proclaiming his colours means we have yet to discover out who he supports.
Simon Hooper
Swindon Town
A certain level of respect must be held for a Swindon Town supporter, given the club’s calamitous history since its relegation from the top flight in the 1993/94 season, with the vast majority of their existence spent in the nation’s third and fourth tiers of football. Even in the Premier League, they concluded 1993/94 with the most goals surrendered in a single season.
Simon Hooper is one such sad soul, but fortunately for the referee, he gets to take regular breaks from fourth-tier football by overseeing some of the best players in the world in England’s top flight. The man from the West Country won’t be welcome in Wolverhampton any time soon, having missed a straightforward penalty which saw Man United’s ‘keeper Andre Onana clatter into the back of Wolves man Sasa Kalajdzic.
Thomas Bramall
Unknown
Thomas Bramall, aged 35, is one of the Premier League’s youngest officials. Bramall, who has been in the Premier League and the EFL Championship, will be recognisable to many fans in both divisions, as well as a big percentage of the football league, having begun his path to the officiating pinnacle in the National League in 2017.
Soon after, the Manchester Football Association product made his Football League debut against Cheltenham Town and Crawley in 2018. Bramall, who hails from the aptly called “Rainy City,” has yet to proclaim his loyalty to a team, and with so many clubs in and around Greater Manchester, who knows.
Paul Tierney
Wigan Athletic
The 44-year-old has been refereeing in the Premier League since 2014, and he has handled several games while at the top of the league, much to the chagrin of Jurgen Klopp, who is not a fan of the referee. After all, he previously received a two-match touchline ban and a £75,000 fine for comments he made about the referee that implied an anti-Liverpool bias.
The Lancashire man’s sporting engagement extends beyond football; he is the stepfather of former rugby league player Lewis Tierney. Paul Tierney is a well-known fan of his hometown club, Wigan Athletic, who presently compete in England’s League One.
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