Referee chief Mike Riley will step down as general manager of Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) next season.
The 57-year-old has been in the post since 2009, having replaced Keith Hackett at the end of his own 20-year elite refereeing career.
The Telegraph are reporting that the PGMOL conference this weekend will be informed that Riley will be leaving the organisation next season. This is another step in wide-ranging changes coming to Premier League refereeing. The news of Riley’s departure follows four long-serving referees Mike Dean, Jon Moss, Martin Atkinson and Kevin Friend all announcing their retirement from officiating after last season.
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Riley regularly came in for criticism from top-flight clubs as he struggled to deal with the challenge of the introduction of VAR in 2019. The Telegraph also reported earlier this month that a number of Premier League clubs were pushing for change over what they believed to be too many refereeing mistakes during Riley’s tenure.
Riley’s role is set to be split after his departure, with PGMOL aiming to appoint a chief refereeing officer, in charge of developing match officials, and a chief operating officer, who will manage the organisation. Former renowned referee Howard Webb has been linked with a return to the English name in a refereeing management role.
Speaking after his departure was confirmed, Riley said: “I am proud of the contribution our match officials have made to the professional game and have enjoyed working with such a dedicated, professional and high-quality group at all of the levels that PGMOL manages.
“As the Elite Referee Development Plan begins to take shape, now is the right time to plan for the future and allow the new leadership team to build on the strong foundations that we have in place. I look forward to working with the new team over the next season and giving them my support before I step down.”
Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said: “On behalf of the Premier League, I would like to thank Mike for his valuable contribution and significant commitment to PGMOL over the last 13 years as well as his considerable service to the game as an elite referee for 20 years.
“During his time at PGMOL, he has worked hard to deliver and develop high-quality match officials across the professional game and led on the implementation of VAR into the Premier League three seasons ago.”
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