EPL referee Anthony Taylor, demoted

The leadership of the Premier League in England, EPL, has banned Referee Anthony Taylor from officiating EPL matches and demoted him to the Championship after giving a controversial penalty against Wolves.

Newcastle took a 2-1 lead at Molineux on Saturday when Taylor awarded Hwang Hee-chan a penalty for tripping Fabian Schar as he tried to clear the ball.

Gary O'Neil described the decision as 'scandalous', despite Hwang scoring the equalizer in the 2-2 draw.

Magpies manager Eddie Howe also admitted it was a controversial decision, with club legend Alan Shearer agreeing.

"I didn't think it was a penalty," Shearer said. “I can understand why the referee has given it off the field but they watched it many times in the replay and I still can't see why it wasn't overturned. "If that was held against me, I would hate it."

Although PGMOL has not formally apologized to Wolves, a decision which was heavily criticized by pundits and fans alike, Taylor has been relegated for this weekend's games and will now referee the Championship match between Preston and Coventry on Saturday - his first time in the second tier since 2019.

Taylor will be on VAR for Luton's game against Liverpool on Sunday, but has not been given a high-profile game as a referee this weekend, despite taking charge of Champions League games and EURO 2024 qualifiers this season.

VAR spent a long time looking at Molineux's decision before deciding not to overturn it and the VAR official for the game, Jarred Gillett, has reserved his place in the Premier League.

He will be on VAR for Fulham's game with Manchester United on Saturday before taking over Sunday's game between Nottingham Forest and Villa as a referee.