WOLVERHAMPTON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 28: Referee Anthony Taylor awards Newcastle United a penalty kick during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Newcastle United at Molineux on October 28, 2023 in Wolverhampton, England. (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
Anthony Taylor demoted to the Championship after penalty blunder
Pedro Neto of Wolverhampton Wanderers reacts after referee Anthony Taylor whistled a foul during hte game against Newcastle. (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
Ref Anthony Taylor demoted after penalty blunder
Late in the first half of the weekend’s Wolverhampton-Newcastle match, ref Anthony Taylor infuriated the visitors by granting a questionable penalty against Wolves’ Hwang Hee Chan for ‘catching Fabian Schar in an attempt to clear the ball’.
The resulting conversion made the score 2-1 Newcastle, enraging the Wolves fans.
However, this time it is not a ridiculous ‘bias’ take even though the decision was reviewed and confirmed by VAR. The penalty call resulted in several personalities speaking out about the controversial penalty, including Newcastle coach Gary O’Neil and former Newcastle star Alan Shearer.
“I can understand why the referee has given it on the pitch but then they looked at it so many times in the replays and I still can’t see why it wasn’t overturned” – Alan Shearer
Despite the fact that the game ended in a draw, with Hwang scoring the equalizer, the controversial decision left fans with a sour feeling, and rightfully so.
The PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) did not issue a formal apology, as reported by the Express and Star. Instead, Taylor has been demoted to the Championship for the upcoming encounter between Preston and Coventry.
This does not mean Taylor has been kicked out of the Premier League, as he is expected back on VAR duties for the game between Liverpool and Luton Town on Sunday.
VAR official keeps his place
Despite Taylor’s punishment for the controversial decision, the VAR official for the Newcastle-Wolves game, Jared Gillet, has kept his place in the Premier League and will continue his role for the Manchester United vs. Fulham game on Saturday at Craven Cottage. Also, Gillet will take charge as the referee for the Nottingham Forest vs. Aston Villa game on Sunday at The City Ground.
