Why Michael Oliver doesn’t officiate Newcastle United games as Nottingham double down

In a football league that is constantly in the news for the wrong reasons due to poor officiating, Michael Oliver has managed to earn a few plaudits once in a while.

The Premier League might still be the most lucrative and most competitive football league in the world, but it has been undone numerous times by poor officiating, even with the advent of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

Nottingham Forest are currently dominating headlines after a scathing statement on X (formerly Twitter), in which they categorically accused the refereeing body, PGMOL, of not listening to them.

The Evangelos Marinakis-owned club stated they 'simply couldn't accept' the three decisions that went against them in the Everton match, promising to 'consider their options' after their 'patience had been tested multiple times'.

In the statement, the two-time European Cup winners also mentioned Stuart Atwell - the VAR in that game - as a Luton Town fan; therefore, his loyalties could be compromised. Nottingham and Luton are currently embroiled in the relegation battle.

This brought to the fore how PGMOL appoints referees for games where the officials are fans. The referees are human and might have grown up supporting a particular club. Would it be fair to the opponent to officiate a game where a boyhood club is involved?

In a 2021 interview with Daily Mail, Oliver shed light on these pertinent questions. The self-confessed Newcastle United fan disclosed why he doesn't officiate games involving the Magpies.

"We have to declare if we have an allegiance to any club or if a family member works at a club. You can't do any match involving that team, and I can't do Sunderland, either, for obvious reasons."

Sunderland is Newcastle United's biggest rival in the Tyne-Wear derby.

Oliver also shared that he can't get involved in matches directly affecting Newcastle. For example, in past seasons, they have been in relegation dogfights, and the 39-year-old can't officiate games where a win or a loss of a certain team would help Newcastle's chances.

"If Newcastle needed a point to survive and the team they were fighting to get above was, say, Villa, I couldn't referee Villa's game either. I wouldn't want to. It's not worth the hassle."

Well, if Atwell is a Luton fan and Nottingham aired out their concerns to PGMOL, would they be right to react the way they did? The FA has opened an investigation into the statement even as Nottingham insists the audio of the three incidents be made public.

Three extremely poor decisions - three penalties not given - which we simply cannot accept.

We warned the PGMOL that the VAR is a Luton fan before the game but they didn’t change him. Our patience has been tested multiple times.

NFFC will now consider its options.

— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC) April 21, 2024