Anthony Taylor will not referee a Premier League match this weekend after being subjected to abuse on social media following Chelsea’s 1-0 win at Bournemouth, with the English top flight now investigating.
The 45-year-old issued a Premier League record of 14 yellow cards during Saturday’s clash, eight of them to Chelsea players.
A spokesperson for the referees’ body, PGMOL, told Reuters on Tuesday that Taylor would act as the fourth official on two occasions this weekend after he was subjected to abuse on social media. He will officiate when Southampton host Ipswich on Saturday and Brighton & Hove Albion welcome Nottingham Forest on Sunday.
Quick Guide
The 14 yellow cards at Bournemouth v Chelsea
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Bournemouth
• Marcos Senesi
• Adam Smith
• Ryan Christie
• Lewis Cook
• Justin Kluivert
• Antoine Semenyo
Chelsea
• Robert Sánchez
• Marc Cucurella
• Levi Colwill
• Wesley Fofana
• Renato Veiga
• Nicolas Jackson
• João Félix
• Jadon Sancho
Both Chelsea and Bournemouth face FA fines of ÂŁ25,000 each for picking up more than six yellow cards in a single match
Chelsea’s head coach, Enzo Maresca, was not concerned by the number of cards handed out by Taylor. “It’s not a problem this amount of yellow cards. It is what it is,” he told Sky Sports. “I complained about a foul on Wesley Fofana which for me was quite clear but it can happen. Eight yellow cards probably because these sort of games are about duels and fight and this can happen. Sometimes the game demands the way you have to behave.”
But his Bournemouth counterpart, Andoni Iraola, did not think it was an “aggressive or violent football match” and seemed more aggrieved by the officiating. He said: “I will not talk about the referee. I have been talking and it is not working so I have decide now I will try the opposite and see what happens.”
