Referee Michael Oliver will not be involved in any Premier League games this weekend – a week on from initially missing the straight red card for Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts which left Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta requiring 25 stitches.
PGMOL insiders say they regularly rotate referees and that includes officials occasionally skipping match rounds, though his absence from the latest appointments list inevitably sparked speculation on Tuesday after the controversial FA Cup clash at Selhurst Park which Palace won 3-1.
Oliver faced criticism following that fixture for how he originally handled Roberts’ head-high challenge on Mateta.