Michael Oliver, fresh from his controversial performance on Saturday, has been named as the referee for Barcelona’s Champions League clash with Atalanta on Wednesday night.
Arsenal’s Miles Lewis-Skelley was sent off by the Newcastle referee at Molinos for a challenge on Wolves full-back Matt Doherty as he was cleared from his own penalty area.
Oliver deemed the challenge “serious foul play” and was upheld by VAR Darren England, despite the challenge appearing to be yellow card-worthy at worst.
18 games in one night 🤯
Wednesday 🍿#UCL pic.twitter.com/OQjiMiwH2G
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) January 27, 2025
Arteta fuming after the game
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was “flabbergasted” after the game and expects the red card to be overturned without the club having to appeal.
Meanwhile, BBC pundit Alan Shearer called the decision “one of the worst I’ve seen in a long time”.
The former England captain said: “As a referee you can make a mistake on the pitch, you can see something that is not right.
“What the hell, Darren England, the VAR, thinks the referee has that right and doesn’t need to send him to the screen.
“One of the worst decisions I’ve seen in a long time.
I just can’t see and understand what VAR is thinking in conjunction with Michael Oliver’s decision.
“No wonder he’s criticized by so many people.”
Oliver’s abuse was condemned
Refereeing body PGMOL issued a statement last night condemning the abuse aimed at Oliver and his family in the aftermath of the Molineux match.
PGMOL Statement ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/Go2gVNSzfk
— PGMOL (@FA_PGMOL) January 26, 2025
It read: “We are appalled by the threats and abuse directed at Michael Oliver after the Wolverhampton Wanderers v Arsenal match. No official should be subjected to any form of abuse, let alone the horrific attacks that have targeted Michael and his family in the last 24 hours.
“The police are aware and have launched a number of inquiries. We support Michael, and everyone affected, and are determined to deal with this unacceptable behaviour. Unfortunately, this is not the first time that a match referee has had to face threats in recent times.”
Oliver heads to Catalonia
Despite the weekend’s upheaval, Oliver is still regarded as one of the Premier League’s top officials and will take charge of the midweek clash.
England will be Jarred Gillett’s VAR assistant for the same game.
Barca are already automatically through to the round of 16, but Atalanta’s fate is yet to be decided.
The Europa League winners are seventh in the table, but just one point ahead of six teams a point behind.
Ninth-placed Aston Villa could be the team to benefit from any slippage by Atalanta as they host Celtic at Villa Park.
