Anthony Taylor will not referee a Premier League match this weekend after facing online abuse following his officiating of Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Bournemouth.
In that game, Taylor set a Premier League record by issuing 14 yellow cards—eight to Chelsea players and six to Bournemouth players.
The Premier League has launched an investigation into the abuse directed at Taylor.
This weekend, he will serve as the fourth official for Southampton’s match against Ipswich on Saturday and Nottingham Forest’s game at Brighton on Sunday.
The previous record for yellow cards in a Premier League game was 12, set in 2016 during Chelsea’s match against Tottenham and again in 2010 in a Wolves versus Newcastle game.
Taylor has faced abuse before; in 2023, he and his family were confronted by angry Roma fans at Budapest airport after Roma’s Europa League final loss to Sevilla.
This incident, which went viral, led UEFA to condemn the “violent behavior,” and former Roma manager José Mourinho received a four-game ban for his outburst against Taylor and other officials.
Despite the controversy, Chelsea’s head coach Enzo Maresca downplayed the significance of the record number of bookings, stating, “It’s not a problem, this amount of yellow cards. It is what it is.
I complained about a foul on Wesley Fofana, which, for me, was quite clear. But it can happen.
These sorts of games are about duels and fight. Sometimes the game demands the way you have to behave.”
