'Pressure is intense and scrutiny constant' - referee Taylor retires
English football referee Anthony Taylor has announced his retirement after a 20-year career, citing the intense pressure and constant scrutiny of the role. His final match was Spain's 1-0 win over Portugal in the World Cup last 16.
Anthony Taylor has announced his immediate retirement as a referee, highlighting the impact of the 'intense' pressure of the role. The 47-year-old enjoyed a 20-year career spanning 831 matches, with his final game being Spain's 1-0 win over Portugal in the World Cup last 16 on 6 July.
A former prison officer, Taylor was added to the Football League list at the start of the 2006-07 season and promoted to the Premier League in 2010. He took charge of 432 top-flight matches and officiated every major domestic cup final. In total, he officiated 668 matches in the English professional game.
"Officiating at the elite level has been an immense privilege, but the pressure is intense and the scrutiny is constant," Taylor said. "The time is now right to step aside and look forward to transitioning to the next chapter of my career."
The Wythenshawe-born referee was on FIFA's list for 14 years and selected for the 2022 World Cup, Euro 2020 and Euro 2024. He officiated 163 international matches and was shortlisted for the 2022 World Cup final but discounted due to political tensions between England and Argentina.
Howard Webb, chief refereeing officer at Pro Ref, said: "Anthony has been a fantastic servant to the game over many years, both domestically and on the international stage. He has been repeatedly trusted to officiate in the biggest games."
Taylor officiated the 2015 EFL Cup final, the 2017 and 2020 FA Cup finals (becoming the first referee since 1901 to take charge of two FA Cup finals), the 2015 Community Shield and the 2018 Championship play-off final. He was praised for handling the Euro 2020 match between Denmark and Finland after Christian Eriksen's collapse.
He also officiated high-profile UEFA matches: the 2020 Super Cup, the 2021 Nations League final, and the 2023 Europa League final. After that final, Taylor faced abuse from Roma boss Jose Mourinho, who called him a 'disgrace', and from fans at Budapest Airport.
In October 2025, Taylor told BBC Sport that incident was the worst abuse he had dealt with. He also refereed the FIFA Club World Cup in 2022 and 2025. Last October he hinted at retirement, saying at 47 it was a challenge to maintain fitness.
His retirement creates a gap at the top of refereeing in England. Pro Ref has merged its officials into one group for the 2026-27 season to give opportunities to upcoming officials.
