The appointment of Anthony Taylor to referee today’s Liverpool clash against Manchester United has generated some controversy, given the official was born in Greater Manchester.
However, it is no secret that Taylor is in fact a fan of National League side Altrincham rather than United or City and the 45-year-old has had a season ticket at Moss Lane for many years.
“Anthony has always been an Altrincham fan,” the club’s president Grahame Rowley toldThe Athletic.
“Even now, he gets a season ticket every year, despite the fact he can’t go to all the matches.
“People around here always ask if you’re a Red or a Blue. He’s actually a great advocate for non-League football and should be praised, not criticised.”
Under PGMOL rules, referees are not allowed to officiate games involving the club they support and Taylor is now set to referee a clash between Liverpool and United for the fourth time in his career.
The first game between the two rivals he officiated was back in 2016 and ended as a 0-0 draw, with his appointment attracting controversy back then as former referees Mark Halsey and Keith Hackett both questioned why he was given the fixture.
“The PGMOL are not helping themselves,” said Halsey.
“If anything happens there will be questions about the appointment.”
Hackett, meanwhile, claimed: “I do not understand why Anthony Taylor has been given the Liverpool game against Manchester United and I do not think he should be doing it.
“There is a risk to his personal safety and that of his family after the game if something was to go wrong. That is not right. The fact he lives so close to Old Trafford means he has been put under unnecessary pressure and it could have been avoided if the game had been given to another referee from the Select Group.”
Former United boss Jose Mourinho also weighed in on the debate, suggesting Taylor would struggle “to have a very good performance” and that “somebody is intentionally putting pressure on him”. However, he did insist that he felt Taylor was a “very good referee”.
Taylor has since refereed two other clashes between the rivals, with Liverpool emerging victorious in both as Jurgen Klopp’s side beat United 4-2 and 5-0 in 2021.
