After controversially awarding Newcastle a penalty against Wolves on Saturday, Anthony Taylor has been demoted to the Championship.
As per DAILYMAIL reports, the Premier League referee is set to oversee a second-tier clash between Preston and Coventry, marking his first Championship fixture since 2019. The decision to relegate Taylor comes in the wake of the polarizing call he made, resulting in significant backlash from various quarters.
Taylor awarded the Magpies a penalty at Molineux, with Hwang Hee-chan’s challenge on Fabian Schar leading to the controversial call. The decision was verified by VAR, but Stockley Park’s match official, Jarred Gillett, chose not to refer Taylor to the monitor for a second look at the incident.
Despite Wolves’ efforts to recover, they couldn’t secure a home victory and had to settle for a 2-2 draw in a challenging game for manager Gary O’Neil.
O’Neil, who had previously been vocal about refereeing matters, particularly after Wolves were affected by two controversial decisions against Manchester United and Luton Town this season, expressed his frustration at Taylor’s call, labeling it “scandalous.”
“(Newcastle’s) second goal was never ever a penalty, ever,” he emphasized to Sky Sports. “It was a terrible decision on-field and from VAR, but we managed to bounce back.”
Hwang, who later scored the equalizer, shared his disappointment with the decision: “I’d tried to clear the ball and saw someone block me. I stopped, and he touched me – I don’t think it was a penalty. I felt so sad and really wanted to do something for my team. Everybody said ‘You can do it.’ They gave me trust, and I scored.”
Off the field, Wolves supporters expressed their frustration with a chant that rang out: “Premier League – corrupt as f***.”
It’s worth noting that Taylor is not the first Premier League official this season to be temporarily reassigned to the Championship due to contentious refereeing incidents. Adrian Holmes also faced such a relegation, taking up a linesman role during Millwall’s match against Hull in October, following his controversial offside call during the Liverpool vs. Tottenham game, which had sparked significant VAR debate.