Referee Michael Oliver has been left off the officiating list for this weekend’s Premier League matches, just a week after missing an initial straight red card for Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts—an incident that left Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta needing 25 stitches.
According to reports, PGMOL regularly rotates referees, sometimes resulting in officials skipping match rounds. However, Oliver’s omission from the latest appointments list has sparked speculation, particularly after his handling of the FA Cup clash at Selhurst Park, which Palace won 3-1.
Oliver faced criticism following the match, particularly for his initial decision not to send off Roberts for a head-high challenge on Mateta. Palace chairman Steve Parish questioned why the 40-year-old referee had to rely on a VAR review before issuing the red card.
As one of England’s top referees, Oliver had been expected to be a strong candidate to officiate Sunday’s high-profile Premier League clash between Manchester United and Arsenal. However, he has not been assigned a match, nor will he serve as a fourth official or VAR in this round of fixtures.
Despite his absence from domestic action, Oliver will be in charge of Wednesday’s UEFA Champions League knockout clash between Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen.
