Martin Atkinson and Jonathan Moss will retire from refereeing duty at the end of the season before taking up new roles with the PGMOL.
The Premier League pair have been mainstays in recent years but will both see their time in their current roles come to an end. Mike Dean, who is the longest serving of all the current referees, has also decided to retire, but he will not be remaining with the PGMOL. Moss' next role with see him as the new manager of the "select group one" referees who take charge of Premier League matches. Atkinson meanwhile will be the group's coach, reports the Telegraph.
Dean, who has become something of a celebrity figure among referees, is likely to be offered television roles. Mike Riley, the chief of the PGMOL, is having to deal with a major transition when it comes to the country's refereeing resources. A host of long-serving officials are passing 50 years of age and there is now a call to see who the next up and coming referees are.
Of those also in the select group, which will be overseen by Moss, Andre Marriner, Kevin Friend and Graham Scott are all over the age of 50. Atkinson has regularly taken charge of big games, this term he has reffed Liverpool's recent 4-0 win over Manchester United as well as Arsenal's visit to Old Trafford. Atkinson has also been the official for several high profile Champions League clashes.
Moss is another man trusted by refs chief Riley. He was the man officiating the recent London derby between Chelsea and Arsenal. The Premier League is planning major changes to the development of referees are the manner in which they fast-tracked into the elite with the advent of the “elite referee development plan” which will hopefully speed up the process. Currently the FA recommends referees to move up into the Football League and ultimately the Premier League.
Riley and his refs have come under fire this term with the former official having to apologise to Everton and Frank Lampard earlier this season. The introduction of VAR in the 2019/20 season caused a stir originally and, whilst there is more acceptance, wrong decisions are still being made despite the benefit of video replays.
Paul Tierney failed to award a penalty for a handball by Rodri in Manchester City's win at Everton earlier this season. VAR official Chris Kavanagh refused to overturn the decision or suggest Tierney consult the pitchside monitor. City went on to win 1-0 and the Toffees later received an apology.
Former referee Keith Hackett has laid the blame squarely at Riley for the decline in refereeing standards. “Make no mistake, I’ve been saying it for months, there’s a complete lack of leadership and lack of drive in the referees,” he told West Brom News.
“Riley is the guy who got rid of a core group of referee coaches who were very skilled. He’s the guy who got rid of assessors at football matches and replaced them with other things which have been inadequate. Since he’s taken over, everybody’s saying it now, there’s been a decline in the standard of refereeing. It’s down to him."
