Anthony Taylor will not referee a Premier League match this weekend after facing abuse on social media following his officiating of Chelsea’s 1-0 victory over Bournemouth.
During that match at the Vitality Stadium, Taylor set a Premier League record by issuing 14 yellow cards—eight to Chelsea players and six to Bournemouth.
In response to the online abuse directed at Taylor, the Premier League has launched an investigation.
This weekend, he will act as the fourth official when Southampton face Ipswich on Saturday and Nottingham Forest travel to Brighton on Sunday.
The previous record for yellow cards in a single Premier League game stood at 12, a mark set in 2016 when Chelsea played Tottenham, and in 2010 during a Wolves versus Newcastle match at Molineux.
This is not the first time Anthony Taylor has faced abuse. In 2023, he and his family were confronted by angry Roma fans at Budapest airport after Roma’s Europa League final defeat to Sevilla. The incident, which went viral on social media, led UEFA to “vehemently condemn” the “violent behavior.” Former Roma manager José Mourinho received a four-game ban for his outburst against Taylor and other English officials following that match, during which Taylor had shown 13 yellow cards—seven to Roma players.
Despite the controversy, Chelsea’s head coach, Enzo Maresca, played down the issue 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.”
