Premier League referee Craig Pawson demoted by UEFA after controversial season

Craig Pawson, a Premier League referee, has been demoted to UEFA’s third-tier referee list after a controversial 2023/2024 season.

Pawson’s relegation comes as a result of several high-profile mistakes that have attracted widespread criticism from fans and pundits alike.

The 45-year-old will now join five other English officials—Stuart Attwell, Darren England, Jarred Gillett, Rob Jones, and Andy Madley—on UEFA’s second-tier list. This demotion marks a significant fall from grace for Pawson, who was once highly regarded in the refereeing community.

Pawson’s controversial decisions this season included a particularly contentious moment in April when he ruled out a late Chelsea goal against Aston Villa. This decision enraged Chelsea’s manager, Mauricio Pochettino, and the club’s supporters. This incident was just one of many that led UEFA to take the drastic step of relegating him.

The demotion is a significant blow to the Premier League, which now has only four officials on UEFA’s Elite and First lists—Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor on the elite list, and two others on the first list. This is a relatively low number compared to other major European leagues like France, Germany, and Italy, which each have six representatives across the top two tiers.

Pawson’s demotion highlights concerns about the standard of officiating in the Premier League and raises questions about whether it can match the quality of its continental counterparts