The Premier League have made a major decision regarding Michael Oliver’s involvement in Premier League fixtures this weekend.
Oliver, 39, took charge of what proved to be a chaotic final Merseyside derby at Goodison Park on Wednesday evening.
The referee, who is widely considered to be the best in the Premier League, had a tough night during the 2-2 draw between Liverpool and Everton.
He sent off Curtis Jones and Abdoulaye Doucoure after the pair became embroiled in a tussle when Jones, 24, was angered by Doucoure, 32, appearing to taunt the away fans gathered in the Bullens Road section of the ground.
Both players were shown a second yellow card and given their marching orders. Shortly after, Arne Slot and his assistant, Sipke Hulshoff, were also dismissed following a heated exchange with the officiating team.
On Thursday, lip reader Jeremy Freeman exclusively told SPORTbible what Slot supposedly said to Oliver after the full-time whistle.
“That’s not a push? It’s a f**king disgrace… if you go and watch that again,” Slot purportedly shouted at an assistant referee.
To the other linesman, he then said: “Well done.”
Just before shaking hands with Oliver, he sarcastically told the referee: “Great game.”
After the red card, the Liverpool boss added: “Sure, you give me a red for that? I will check it out for later… me and you yeah? Sure give me a red card… we’ll talk after?”
Slot, 46, finally broke his silence on the events in a press conference on Friday morning.
“There is an ongoing process now, and I have to respect that,” said Slot.
“Emotions got the better of me. If I could do that differently, if I look back, I would love to do that differently, and I hope to do that differently next time.”
But what next for Michael Oliver?
Simon Hooper – assisted by Adrian Holmes and Simon Long while John Brooks is the VAR – will take charge of Liverpool’s Premier League match against Wolves at Anfield on Sunday.
Oliver will be in place as the VAR at the AMEX for Brighton’s match against Chelsea on Friday before continuing his VAR duties at Villa Park for Aston Villa’s fixture against relegation-threatened Ipswich Town on Saturday.
