Premier League facing record low referee shortage

Just one match official has been recruited ahead of next season, despite Chris Foy's retirement, leaving a total of 17 to call upon including big injury doubt Phil Dowd.The Premier League is facing an unpreceedated shortage of referees for the upcoming season, according to You-Are-The-Ref.com.The independent referees organisation state Championship official Graham Scott will be the only referee promoted to top-flight duties despite the retirement of Chris Foy and Phil Dowd's ongoing injury concerns.Scott's promotion leaves the Premier League with a record low of 17 referees to call upon, a number which includes Dowd, who only has a small chance of passing fitness tests due to a knee injury.
Referees are human beings who pick up injuries and they also need time to recharge like everybody else, former Premier League referee chief Keith Hackett told You Are the Ref.The current pool of elite referees is so depleted that match officials already face a fixture list nightmare that gives them little or no respite from making knife-edge decisions in high octane games that are sometimes just a few days apart.When you put people into that sort of pressure cooker environment then mistakes will inevitably occur.The PGMOL needs to take urgent action and this means giving more talented referees from the Championship the chance to step up to the plate.Mark Halsey also questioned the ambition shown by the likes of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited in searching for potential candidates to make the step up to top-tier officiating.He added: I know of some officials who weren't looked at other than by their match assessors during last season. Not once. How are they supposed to progress?Howard Webb [PGMOL's Select Group Manager] now has the opportunity to get out more and to watch games. To get out of a nice comfortable studio and to see a lot more referees.Scott made his Premier League bow in November, officiating a 1-1 draw between Burnley and Aston Villa, before replacing an injured Dowd at half-time when West Brom hosted Southampton in February.Dowd's withdrawal at the Hawthorns was due to knee damage which still troubles him, leaving the Premier League with 16 match-fit officials for the August 8 kick-off having previously never had fewer than 18.