- The referee who took charge of Tottenham’s game against Arsenal is not allowed to officiate games involving two Premier League clubs
- Peter Bankes was the man in charge of the North London derby, where he officiated a largely incident-free game at Tottenham’s stadium
- Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal ran out 4-1 victors over their rivals, with Viktor Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze scoring a brace apiece
Peter Bankes was the centre referee when Arsenal walloped Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 in the North London derby on Sunday evening.
Source: Getty Images
Eberechi Eze’s good form against Tottenham continued as he opened the scoring in the 32nd minute, but Randal Kolo Muani equalised a few minutes later.
Arsenal came back reenergized in the second half, with Viktor Gyokeres scoring only two minutes after the restart. Eze would double his tally in the game in the 61st minute before Gyokeres also got a brace of his own in stoppage time to complete the rout.
Bankes led a largely controversy-free game, save for a potential Kolo Muani goal that he disallowed in the second half. The French striker thought he had drawn his side level for the second time in the game, only for Bankes to chalk it off for an apparent shove on Gabriel Magalhaes.
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Which teams can’t Peter Bankes officiate?
Referees are often required to declare their allegiances to make sure there is no conflict of interest when the match appointments are made.
As The Mirror reports, Bankes was born in Lancashire, and his County FA is the Liverpool Football Association. As a result, the 43-year-old cannot officiate games involving Liverpool or their Merseyside rivals, Everton.
Bankes, who has been on FIFA’s list since 2021, has now taken charge of 19 games in the top-flight this season. He has given 75 yellow cards, including the three he gave out in the North London derby on Sunday.
Source: Getty Images
It is common for referees to stay away from fixtures involving teams where they come from or support. For instance, Michael Oliver, one of the division’s most experienced referees, is on record explaining why he can’t take charge of a Newcastle game. He supports the Magpies.
“I never referee Newcastle games. We have to declare if we have an allegiance to any club or if a family member works at a club. You can’t do any match involving that team, and I can’t do Sunderland, either, for obvious reasons,” he told the Daily Mail.
Supercomputer predicts Premier League winner
In a different report, Opta’s supercomputer has predicted who will win the Premier League after Arsenal’s win over Tottenham in the North London derby.
Arsenal had faltered in recent weeks, winning only two Premier League games in their last seven, but responded in style to beat their rivals. Gyokeres and Eze scored a brace each at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Manchester City are now five points back, but they have played one game less than Arsenal.
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Source: TUKO.co.ke
