Liverpool’s Virgil van Dijk was dissatisfied with Anthony Taylor and Stuart Attwell at Euro 2024. Many people have raised the same point concerning Premier League referees.
Virgil van Dijk and the Netherlands were outraged by the decision to rule out what they saw as a genuine goal against France at Euro 2024. The Liverpool captain led the protest against on-field referee Anthony Taylor.
Assistant referee Adam Nunn raised the flag to rule the goal out after Taylor informed him that Denzel Dumfries was interfering with play, potentially preventing France’s goalkeeper from diving to save Xavi Simons’ shot. However, the length of the resulting VAR check exacerbated the irritation even more.
Following the match, Van Dijk made a sharp remark about the officials. “We scored a fair goal,” Van Dijk said after the game. “He had no chance of getting into that corner.” But, indeed, the English referee opted to prohibit it.”
Stuart Attwell was on VAR duty, and it took more than two minutes before the ruling was confirmed and play resumed. Following the offside judgment, Attwell checked for a possible penalty kick, which added to the delay.
Van Dijk’s caustic remark about “the English referee” inevitably sparked another conversation about Premier League officials, with much of the tournament seeing quick calls contrasted to the lengthy checks in the English top division. With Taylor on the field, a trickier decision had to be taken, which took a little longer.
That will do little to remove the image that Premier League officials are worse than those in other top leagues, even if UEFA’s own data does not necessarily support that claim. Taylor is well respected on the European scene, and Attwell is one of UEFA’s top VAR officials. Michael Oliver is also representing England at Euro 2024.
While the introduction of computerized offsides in the Premier League next season will undoubtedly speed up judgments, subjective calls like the one in Dumfries will continue to be contentious. While it may not ‘feel’ right, the decision was sound.
Amidst all of this, the Daily Mail claims that another Premier League official, Craig Pawson, has been demoted by UEFA for next season. Pawson, who was formerly on the ‘First’ list, will be moved to the ‘Second’ list, with John Brooks, another English top level referee, taking his position.
Taylor and Oliver are both on UEFA’s ‘Elite’ list, which is the highest level. Darren England, Jarred Gillett, Robert Jones, and Andy Madley are currently on the ‘Second’ list.
