Anthony Taylor takes aim at ex-referee pundits for adding to ‘culture of fear’

Anthony Taylor has pointed at ex-referees turned pundits for piling criticism on their colleagues and adding to the “culture of fear” that surrounds officiating. Taylor retired after refereeing at this summer’s World Cup, with the 47-year-old Manchester official ending his career following a distinguished 20-year career that spanned 831 matches. Promoted to the Premier League in 2010, Taylor refereed at four major tournaments and also officiated at every major cup final. He has since taken on a new role as director of elite refereeing with the Turkish Football Federation, and says he hopes to help the Turkish game through its ever-developing referee betting scandal. Anthony Taylor officiating at the 2026 World Cup (Getty) In making this career move, he opted against moving into media unlike some of his refereeing colleagues. Mark Clattenberg and Mike Dean are among the most prominent ex-Premier League officials to move into punditry, while Graham Scott has turned columnist for The Athletic. Taylor did not name-drop anyone but admitted that when media scrutiny of referees is already “off the scale”, it doesn’t help when referees also take aim at those in the profession. Asked in an interview with BBC Sport whether it disappoints him when criticism comes from former officials, he said: "Yes, it does personally, because it doesn't have any balance to it a lot of the time. "It's just part of the focus that comes with football. When we're dealing with supposedly objective analysis of matches, whether that be an expert ex-player in a studio or an ex-referee, that should be balanced and fair. "If it's all one-sided criticism, that creates a culture of fear, disrespect, shame. Mark Clattenburg is among the ex-referees to have moved into media since retiring (Mike Egerton/PA Wire) "There's a thirst for people to be told: 'Is the decision right or wrong?' And the reality in football is there's a lot of subjectivity and opinion in the middle of right and wrong. But that's not acceptable a lot of the time now." Taylor admitted the “constant” scrutiny was “part” of the reason why he quit suddenly, even though he has stayed off social media in a bid to avoid just that. He now feels his attributes are better suited elsewhere rather than in the media. "I would never feel like I would be wanting to be in a place where I want to criticise somebody, because I'd like to think I've got a very good understanding of why somebody's made a decision that they've made,” he added. "Of course, a wrong decision can be made. Nobody really chooses to understand the reasoning why. "I feel my skills and my passion are better suited to trying to pass on that knowledge and experience I've been lucky enough to accumulate over the years."