Anthony Taylor is no longer a referee
Veteran Premier League referee Anthony Taylor has become the subject of mockery on social media following his decision to retire from officiating.
The 47-year-old enjoyed a 20-year career officiating 831 matches, with his final game being Spain’s 1-0 win over Portugal in the World Cup round of 16 on July 6, 2026.
A prison officer before becoming a professional referee, Taylor was first added to the Football League list at the start of the 2006–07 season.
Spain crowned 2026 World Cup champions after beating Argentina
He was promoted to the Premier League in 2010, where he took charge of 432 top-flight matches and officiated every major domestic cup final. In total, he oversaw 668 matches in the professional game in England.
The announcement of his retirement was met with cheers on social media, as many fans claimed his officiating was biased and often unfavorable to their clubs.
Chelsea supporters were particularly happy, celebrating the fact that Taylor would no longer officiate their matches, accusing him of frequently issuing harsh yellow and red cards.
Fans of other Premier League clubs also expressed relief, alleging that they too had suffered from his perceived bias in high-stakes matches.
Meanwhile, some questioned Taylor’s decision to retire at 47, arguing that it was too early and that he should have continued officiating high-profile games for a few more years.
Read the reactions below:
So he’s going to get away with all the things he did to Chelsea. What a horrible unprofessional referee
— Smokesignals (@Signal5puzzles7) July 21, 2026
Chelsea fc is free forever.
— “e go over you”😹 (@thebadass) July 21, 2026
Anthony Taylor comps pic.twitter.com/MhHuniHUtX
As an Arsenal fan I'm happy this biased referred has retired
— Manthi 254 🇰🇪🇳🇬 (@254Trigueros) July 21, 2026
Finally chelsea fans can breathe a sigh of relief
— Mr Taiwo || Project Manager (@MrTaiwo_TG) July 21, 2026
Football has won once again
— purges 🦉🦁 (@purgesis1) July 21, 2026
One of the incompetence referee in the world but is always awarded big matches
Chelsea fans are going to be happy he’s gone
— Big Dre (@drezziiii) July 21, 2026
Isn’t that too early?
He is very young and energetic. Was he forced?
— XExpansion (@Ju1es24) July 21, 2026
“Anthony Taylor retires from pro officiating.”
— BIG IMO🤴🏽🇨🇦 (@ImoPunter) July 21, 2026
Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea fans: https://t.co/IgEBIk6xis pic.twitter.com/pK1cUP6dnw
Wai what?
— Kev (@heis_kevn) July 21, 2026
And he’s 47???? My gawwwddd 😂
Anthony Taylor announces retirement from refereeing. https://t.co/arexnDYXGv pic.twitter.com/3v74lUXK3s
— CFC OBEY®️ (@_kobbyphocus) July 21, 2026
ANTHONY TAYLOR IS GONEEEEEEEEE!!!! https://t.co/RFI3DebBDP pic.twitter.com/RIKzNQgvz8
— Elvis Tunde (@Tunnykvng) July 21, 2026
Chelsea's worst nightmare, Anthony Taylor retires, only God can do this 🕺🕺🕺🕺🕺 https://t.co/jls7UH6noE pic.twitter.com/mJJTJew8Ap
— SportsDokita (Odogwu ☝️) (@Sports_Doctor2) July 21, 2026
Copyright © 1994 - 2026 GhanaWeb. All rights reserved.
