Premier League fans have reacted to the appointment of Michael Oliver as the referee for Sunday,s crunch meeting between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Ethiad.
The Premier League is never excused from officiating controversies and Michael Oliver, despite being on of the best referees in the division is not a saint when it comes to decision-making and fair judgment.
The news of the appointment of the 39-year-old as the center referee for arguably the biggest Premier League fixture of the season has not been well received by some section of fans, who believe he is an aid to the Cityzens.
Fans lament Michael Oliver’s appointment for Man City – Arsenal clash’
In notable games involving the Cityzens last season, Michael Oliver made decisive decisions that went the way of Pep Guardiola’s side, and adding that to their previous associations, fans are convinced he works for City.
One fan on X formerly known as Twitter listed three strong allegations against Michael Oliver, which shows referee favours Manchester City in games. He wrote:
The Premier League referee failed to send off Mateo Kovacic for an awkward two-feet tackle on Martin Ødegaard during the Community Shield meeting between the same clubs last season. Oliver showed just a yellow card to the Croatian, who went on to commit another bookable offence on Declan Rice but was not given a marching order.
🚨 Confirmed: Michael Oliver will referee Arsenal vs Man City on Sunday
Some facts about Michael Oliver:
💰 Olivier was paid £20,000 in 2023 to referee a game in UAE, funded by Man City owner
❌ Kovacic escaped a controversial red card from Oliver the last time the teams… pic.twitter.com/cocVz1rdMq
— Zac Wilson (@ZACWILSON_) September 17, 2024
Later in the season, Oliver also failed to award obvious penalties for Chelsea and Liverpool in their meetings with Manchester City, further the calls for him not to be appointed for big games involving the Cityzens.
Michael Oliver will be assisted by both Stuart Burt and Dan Cook, while Andy Madley will be the fourth official. John Brooks, assisted by Richard West will be on VAR, completing the officiating team for the Sunday’s match in the Ethiad.
