Taylor’s appointment a break with tradition

Anthony Taylor will today become the first referee to take charge of the FA Cup final on two occasions since 1901. The Football Association’s reasoning is that this is not a normal year and not a normal Cup final, and that it would be unfair for a referee’s one shot at the biggest game of their lives to be behind closed doors with no friends or family there. So they have appointed Taylor (right), who was in charge when Arsenal and Chelsea met in the 2017 final.

The decision has been met with widespread shock across the refereeing community. I have had numerous emails from former referees saying they cannot believe how the FA has done away with tradition.

Before we get into the details, I must say this is nothing to do with Anthony as a referee.

I am sure he will do a good job, but so few referees get the chance to take charge of an FA Cup final that it feels wrong to be denying them here. The likes of Paul Tierney,

Craig Pawson and Lee Mason must have thought they were in with a chance and I am sure they would rather referee one Cup final behind closed doors than none at all, because the FA Cup final really does remain the height of ambition for 99 per cent of referees. It feels unlike any other occasion.

I remember, in 1981, being in the tunnel before the 100th Cup final, which I was given the honour of officiating, and knew I had to give a top-class performance – and I was pleased with how I did.

The match finished 1-1 after extra time, and the tradition, then, was that the original referee got to do the replay. I had been given the choice before the game of a £35 match fee or a gold medal and, having chosen the medal, I knew I would receive it only once my work was done. So, as I climbed the steps to the Queen Mother, I was thinking: “I hope she doesn’t give me my medal.”

She did not, and when I made it back down to the Wembley pitch my referee’s officer nodded at me, and I knew I had got the replay too.

And yes, you could say I took charge of two Cup finals – although technically they only count as one.

Either way, the tradition of one year per referee has never been questioned until now. Good luck to Anthony, though, and I am sure he will do us proud.