The Premier League is expected to undergo a significant change in the upcoming season as four of the most prominent referees retire and one new official is appointed.
Nothing is constant in EPL. In fact, the only thing constant is that everything is changing.
We see three clubs being relegated and three being promoted each season in the Premier League.
Retiring Premier League Referees
That frequently includes people in black as well, but it’s never been as significant as it is this summer.
The most recent to leave their positions this week are four of the biggest referees in the industry.
According to Martyn Ziegler of the Times, Kevin Friend has decided to leave his post as a referee. He will leave along with Mike Dean, Jon Moss, and Martin Atkinson.
Dean is anticipated to continue working on their Elite Referee Development Strategy. While Friend, Moss, and Atkinson have all been announced to have accepted positions inside PGMOL.
With Dean making his debut in 2000, the quartet was among the eight most experienced referees in the English top division.
The only referees to oversee more games than Dean and Atkinson were Anthony Taylor (28) and Paul Tierney (27). They were all regulars in the Premier League last season (both 26).
While Friend (18) was slightly outside the top 10, Moss (25) was the seventh-most frequent referee.
New faces
Taylor, Tierney, Michael Oliver, Craig Pawson, and Stuart Attwell are the core referees for 2022–2023 after a wave of retirements. David Coote, Chris Kavanagh, Andre Marriner, and Andrew Madley will be providing backup to them.
Tom Bramall has reportedly stepped up from regular duty in the EFL to join the Premier League’s squad of referees for the next season.
As the Premier League favours less-experienced names, Bramall joins a new crop of officials who also include assistants Natalie Aspinall, Nick Greenhalgh, and Steve Meredith.
Michael Salisbury, Tony Harrington, John Brooks, and JArred Gillet were all added to the main group last summer. They will be able to referee more games starting in the upcoming season.
Moreover, Friend didn’t referee for one game week after giving Liverpool a questionable penalty in the 3-1 victory over Crystal Palace in February.
