Ref body 'appalled' by abuse after Arsenal red

The police have launched investigations into “threats and abuse” aimed at referee Michael Oliver and his family after Myles Lewis-Skelly controversial red card in Arsenal‘s 1-0 victory at Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.

Oliver sent off Lewis-Skelly in the 43rd minute, with the Arsenal full-back deemed to have committed a serious foul play challenge on Matt Doherty.

The decision, which was supported by the VAR, received widespread criticism from pundits and supporters. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said he was “absolutely fuming” about Lewis-Skelly’s dismissal.

Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the body in charge of refereeing in English football, issued a statement on Sunday evening to reveal that Oliver had been subjected to attacks.

“We are appalled by the threats and abuse directed at Michael Oliver following the Wolverhampton Wanderers v Arsenal fixture,” PGMOL’s statement read. “No official should be subject to any form of abuse, let alone the abhorrent attacks aimed at Michael and his family over the past 24 hours.

“The police are aware, and a number of investigations have commenced. We are supporting Michael, and all those affected, and are determined to tackle this unacceptable behaviour.

“Sadly, this is not the first time a match official has been forced to deal with threats in recent times. We will continue to support all investigations.”

The Premier League shared a statement of their own in support of Oliver.

“The Premier League strongly condemns the threats and abuse directed at Michael Oliver,” it read. “No official should be subject to any form of abuse. We will continue to support Michael, PGMOL and all investigations.”

Mike Dean took a step away from refereeing for a short period in 2021 after reporting death threats to the police. It came after a controversial decision to send off West Ham United midfielder Tomás Soucek against Fulham.