JAKARTA - PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) or the British Football Referee Supervisory Agency was shocked by the harassment and threats against Michael Oliver after Arsenal received a red card.
Police have launched an investigation into threats and harassment aimed at referee Michael Oliver and his family after Myles Lewis-Skelly's controversial red card in Arsenal's 1-0 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, January 25, 2025.
Oliver took out Lewis-Skelly in the 43rd minute. The Arsenal full-back is considered to have committed a serious foul on Matt Doherty.
The decision, supported by VAR, received widespread criticism from experts and supporters.
The Gunners manager Mikel Arteta said he was really angry about Lewis-Skelly's expulsion.
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PGMOL, the agency responsible for the referee in English football, issued a statement on Sunday evening, January 26, 2025, to reveal that Oliver had been the target of the attack.
"We are shocked by the threats and harassment directed at Michael Oliver after Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Arsenal's game."
"No referee should be the target of any form of harassment, let alone the heinous attack directed at Michael and his family over the past 24 hours."
"The police already know about it and a number of investigations have begun. We support Michael and all those affected. We are determined to overcome this unacceptable behavior."
"Unfortunately, this is not the first time a match referee has been forced to face threats in recent times. We will continue to support all investigations," read a PGMOL statement.
The Premier League shared their own statement in support of Oliver.
"The Premier League strongly condemns the threats and harassment directed at Michael Oliver."
"No referee should be the target of any form of harassment. We will continue to support Michael, PGMOL, and all investigations," read the Premier League statement.
Previously, Mike Dean resigned from the referee's position for a while in 2021 after reporting death threats to police.
This came after a controversial decision to expel West Ham United midfielder Tomas Soucek, against Fulham.
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