"It's Time to Step Back"... Referee Taylor, Who Sent off Bento, Retires After 20 Years

"Relentless Criticism and Scrutiny"
"Gratitude to Family and Friends"

Anthony Taylor (47), a referee from England, has announced his retirement, bringing his 20-year refereeing career to an end due to extreme pressure and related reasons.

According to foreign media outlets such as The Guardian on July 21 (local time), Taylor issued a retirement statement on this day. He stated, "It has been a great privilege to officiate at the elite level. However, the pressure was immense, and the scrutiny and criticism never ended," adding, "Now is the time to step back."

He continued, "I am deeply grateful for the unwavering support from my two assistant referees, Gary and Adam, my fellow referees, and everyone in the football community," and went on to say, "Above all, I want to express my greatest gratitude to my family and friends, who have steadfastly stood by me despite the countless sacrifices this job has demanded."

Referee Anthony Taylor. Photo by AP Yonhap News

As a result, the Round of 16 match between Spain and Portugal at the 2026 North American World Cup held on July 7 became his final match, closing his career after officiating 831 games. A former prison officer, Taylor made his professional refereeing debut in 2006, was promoted to Premier League (EPL) referee in 2010, and officiated 432 EPL matches. He was also listed as an International Referee for FIFA and officiated 163 A-level international matches over the past 14 years.

The defining highlight of his career is widely regarded as the Euro 2020 group stage match between Denmark and Finland. During that game, when Christian Eriksen collapsed from cardiac arrest, Taylor immediately stopped play, enabling prompt emergency response.

On the other hand, he has also faced heavy criticism. After taking charge of the UEFA Europa League Final in the 2022–2023 season, Taylor was repeatedly called "shameful" and verbally abused by AS Roma (Italy) manager Jose Mourinho, whose team lost the match. Mourinho even blocked Taylor in the parking lot and confronted him, which ultimately resulted in a four-game suspension for the manager.

Meanwhile, Taylor has a connection to Korean football as well. He officiated the second group stage match between Korea and Ghana at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, where controversy arose after he blew the final whistle without awarding a corner kick in the closing moments, when Korea was trailing 2-3. This caused further escalation of public criticism when he showed a red card to coach Paulo Bento, who protested vehemently.

In the EPL, he has officiated several matches involving Son Heung-min. Notably, in the Tottenham vs. Chelsea match of December 2019 during the 2019–2020 season, Taylor issued a red card to Son following VAR review, determining Son’s raised foot toward Antonio Rudiger was a retaliatory action. Despite Son’s appeals of unfairness, the decision was not overturned, and he was sent off.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.