Controversial Liverpool vs Man City referee was from Manchester – here’s why Premier League allowed him to

Controversial Liverpool vs Man City referee was from Manchester – here’s why Premier League allowed him to officiatelibi’ does not contradict the Premier League’s strict regulations in any way.

Manchester City were met with a hostile reception from Liverpool fans at Anfield on Premier League matchday six.

The atmosphere was particularly heated following the latest developments in City’s financial case. After the international break, the Citizens returned to action after being found guilty of 114 charges of breaching financial regulations between 2009 and 2018.

Liverpool fans made their feelings clear throughout the match, with chants of “cheaters” coming from the stands and banners referencing the scandal.

However, the hostile reception did little to help the hosts, as Liverpool suffered a 3-0 defeat.

The key moment in this match was the sending off of Ryan Gravenberch. The Liverpool midfielder picked up two yellow cards early in the second half and left the field, leaving his teammates down to ten men. Three minutes later, Erling Haaland opened the scoring.

As for the disciplinary decisions, there were plenty of questions for the match’s referee, Chris Kavanagh. The second yellow card in particular drew a lot of criticism, as experts saw no real reason to send the player off, especially since City players had not been punished for similar fouls earlier.

Screenshot from the Liverpool – Man City match broadcast on Setanta Sports

And when fans discussed Chris’s performance on social media, they unexpectedly discovered an interesting fact – Kavanagh was born in Manchester.

Moreover, he, Anthony Taylor, and Paul Tierney are all from there, and together have officiated 209 matches involving Manchester City or Manchester United. Meanwhile, Peter Bankes, who is from Merseyside, has never been allowed to referee a Liverpool or Everton match.

So why was Kavanagh assigned to Premier League matchday 6 at Anfield? The Premier League enforces very strict controls on referees in this regard. Before each season, referees are surveyed about which club they support and whether they have any connections to it. If, for example, someone names United, they’re not allowed to officiate matches involving that team or their main rivals – the Citizens. All to eliminate any hint of bias.