The Two Clubs Michael Oliver is Banned From Refereeing

Referee Michael Oliver found himself  controversy after several of the decisions he made during 10-man Manchester City’s 1-0 win over Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

His first big decision of the derby came in the 23rd minute, when he chose to send off Phil Foden, despite it appearing that the Englishman’s kick out was in reaction to initially being kicked while on the floor by Bruno Fernandes – a call that Roy Keane called out during his Sky Sports punditry.

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While more VAR’s fault than his, Oliver also oversaw Erling Haaland’s winner on the hour-mark, which saw Enzo Fernandez standing in an offside position and affecting the play. Pro Ref has now acknowledged that this was the wrong decision, firstly to not blow up for the offside and secondly for those at Stockley Park to not recommend an on-field review.

For years, fans have accused Oliver of having a grudge against certain clubs, while showing favouritism to others. But did you also know that he’s banned from refereeing matches involving two English teams?

Two Teams Michael Oliver Cannot Officiate

Originating from Ashington, Northumberland, Oliver embarked on his refereeing career at the young age of 14, rapidly ascending the ranks before joining the National List of Referees in 2007.

He made history in August 2010 when he became the youngest-ever Premier League referee, presiding over a match between Birmingham and Blackburn Rovers at just 25 years and 182 days old.

But such are his Geordie roots, the 40-year-old is not allowed to oversee Newcastle United games. For the same reasons, he is also not allowed to officiate Sunderland games.

“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,” Oliver said in an interview, per the Express.

Keith Hackett, ex-chief of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), explained: “At the beginning of every season, the referees’ background information is audited.

“They complete a form that includes who they support, the history of if they’ve played the game and with the addresses where they are residing. That gives you a picture that comes into use when you’re appointing. It’s about ensuring, for example, you wouldn’t appoint a Sheffield-based ref for a Sheffield team.”

Post-match discussion saw Oliver come under heavy fire on social media for his decisions in a crucial derby fixture, but it would appear that both sides of the divide have their reasons to grumble, rather than one more than the other.