_18.jpg) Oliver in 2022 | |||
| Full name | Michael Oliver | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | (1985-02-20)20 February 1985 (age 40) Ashington, Northumberland, England | ||
| Domestic | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 2003–2005 |  Northern League | Referee | |
| 2005–2007 | Football Conference | Referee | |
| 2007– | English Football League | Referee | |
| 2010– | Premier League | Referee | |
| International | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 2012– | FIFA listed | Referee | |
| 2018– | UEFA Elite | Referee | |
Michael Oliver (born 20 February 1985) is an English professionalfootballreferee fromAshington, Northumberland. His county FA is theNorthumberland Football Association.[1] He belongs to theSelect Group of Referees in England and officiates primarily in thePremier League. He received hisFIFA badge in 2012, allowing him to officiate in major international matches. Oliver was appointed to take charge of the final of the2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup. Oliver was promoted to theUEFA Elite Group of Referees in 2018.
Born inAshington, Northumberland, Oliver was introduced to refereeing by his father, Clive, at the age of 14.[2] He quickly progressed through the ranks and was promoted to the National List of Referees in 2007; he refereed the2007 Conference National play-off final, becoming the youngest football referee to officiate atWembley Stadium. In addition he had already become the youngestFootball Leagueassistant referee, youngest Football League referee, and would also become the youngestfourth official in thePremier League.
The Oliver family enjoyed a unique refereeing double when father Clive took charge of the2009 League Two play-off final and Michael officiated the next day at the2009 League One play-off final.Oliver was set to become the youngest referee in the Premier League when he was appointed to a match betweenFulham andPortsmouth in January 2010.[3] However, adverse weather resulted in him having to postpone the match, and an ankle operation later sidelined him until April.[4] He was promoted to theSelect Group in August 2010, his first appointment beingBirmingham City versusBlackburn Rovers. Oliver was 25 years and 182 days old, breakingStuart Attwell's record as the youngest-ever Premier League referee.
Oliver was appointed fourth official for the2013 League Cup final at Wembley Stadium. He refereed the FA Cup semi-final betweenWigan Athletic andMillwall in April 2013 and in doing so became the youngest referee to take charge of an FA Cup semi-final. Wigan went on to win the FA Cup and playedManchester United in the subsequentFA Community Shield match in which Oliver was assigned as fourth official.
He was the referee for the2014 FA Community Shield betweenArsenal andManchester City.[5] The FA Cup holders Arsenal won the match 3–0.
Oliver refereed three group stage matches in the2016–17 UEFA Champions League, his first beingSporting CP againstLegia Warsaw in September 2016.
On 11 April 2018, Oliver refereed the second leg of the2017–18 UEFA Champions League quarter-final betweenReal Madrid andJuventus. Real Madrid won the first leg 3–0 inTurin, which meant Juventus would have to win 3–0 inMadrid to take the match toextra time. Juventus led 3–0 until the 93rd minute, when Oliver awarded an injury time penalty to Real Madrid afterMedhi Benatia challengedLucas Vázquez in the box. Juventus players swarmed Oliver, with veteran goalkeeper and captainGianluigi Buffon at the centre of the confrontation, receiving a red card for dissent. Oliver also issued nine yellow cards during the match. Second goalkeeperWojciech Szczęsny was forced to be substituted in, with the resulting penalty kick converted byCristiano Ronaldo in the 98th minute, for a final 4–3 aggregate win for Real Madrid to advance to the semi-final.[6][7][8][9]
v
Juventus| 11 April 2018Quarter-final second leg | Real Madrid | 1–3 (4–3agg.) | Juventus | Madrid, Spain |
| 20:45 | Report |
| Stadium:Santiago Bernabéu Attendance: 75,796 |
Several days later, thepolice investigated threatening text messages sent to Oliver's wife, Lucy, who had her mobile number posted on social media after the game, which led to the abusive texts. They also looked into reports of banging on the front door of their home and shouting abuse through their letterbox.[10] On 11 May, Buffon was charged byUEFA over post-match comments made about referee Oliver, saying in part, "...Clearly you cannot have a heart in your chest, but a bag of rubbish...".[11] Buffon later apologized for his comments.[12] On 5 June, he received a three-match ban for UEFA competition matches.[13]
On 26 March 2019, Oliver was appointed to referee in the2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup inPoland, with Simon Bennett and Stuart Burt serving as his assistant referees.[14] Oliver officiated 3 matches at the tournament, including a group A clash between Senegal and Colombia,[15] a round of 16 clash between Uruguay and Ecuador,[16] and a semi-final between Ecuador and South Korea.[17]
Oliver officiated the2021 FA Cup Final on 15 May 2021, betweenChelsea andLeicester City.[18]
In a May 2022FIFApronouncement, Oliver was listed as one of six English officials to oversee matches at that November and December'sWorld Cup. The list also included refereeAnthony Taylor and four compatriot assistant referees—Simon Bennett, Gary Beswick, Stuart Burt, and Adam Nunn.[19]
On 10 August 2022, he was the referee for the2022 UEFA Super Cup betweenEintracht Frankfurt andReal Madrid.[20] On 18 April 2023, he refereed a match betweenAl Hilal andAl Nassr in theSaudi Pro League.[21] In September 2023, he refereed a match betweenSharjah FC andAl Ain FC for theUAE Pro League.[22]
In January 2025, police in the UK launched an investigation after Oliver was subjected to threats following him issuing a controversial red card to Arsenal'sMyles Lewis-Skelly during a fixture againstWolverhampton. Following the incident, thePGMOL said they were "appalled" by the threats and said "a number of investigations have commenced."[23][24]
| 2014 FA Community Shield | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date | Match | Venue |
| 10 August 2014 | Arsenal –Manchester City | Wembley Stadium |
| 2016 Football League Cup Final | ||
| Date | Match | Venue |
| 28 February 2016 | Liverpool –Manchester City | Wembley Stadium |
| 2018 FA Cup Final | ||
| Date | Match | Venue |
| 19 May 2018 | Chelsea –Manchester United | Wembley Stadium |
| 2021 FA Cup Final | ||
| Date | Match | Venue |
| 15 May 2021 | Chelsea –Leicester City | Wembley Stadium |
I know the referee saw what he saw, but it was certainly a dubious incident. Not clear-cut. And a dubious incident at the 93rd minute when we had a clear penalty denied in the first leg, you cannot award that at this point. The team gave its all, but a human being cannot destroy dreams like that at the end of an extraordinary comeback on a dubious situation. Clearly you cannot have a heart in your chest, but a bag of rubbish. On top of that, if you don't have the character to walk on a pitch like this in a stadium like this, you can sit in the stands with your wife, your kids, having your drink and eating crisps. You cannot ruin the dreams of a team. I could have told the referee anything at that moment, but he had to understand the degree of the disaster he was creating. If you can't handle the pressure and have the courage to make a decision, then you should just sit in the stands and eat your crisps.
If I saw the referee again, I would give him a hug and say that he should have taken more time with that decision. With the feelings, emotions and disappointment of the situation, I behaved in a way that was not usual for me. After that match, I went beyond the limits with the things I said about the referee and I apologise for that.
| Sporting positions Michael Oliver | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | 2022 UEFA Super Cup Referee | Succeeded by |
