Premier League fans never see Michael Oliver take charge of a Tyne-Wear derby, or see Kevin Friend at the King Power Stadium.Premier League referees have to indicate who they support in order to ensure there is no bias towards teams.Oliver himself is a Newcastle fan while Friend cheers on Leicester.
Mike Dean is a Tranmere supporter with Martin Atkinson a Leeds fan.It means there are some occasions when the top referees don’t always get the biggest games, having to be kept away from their own teams.Talking about VAR, Oliver told the Mail on Sunday: “I went to Sheffield United with Newcastle as a fan in the away end last season and we thought we had had a goal disallowed.
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