FA cup decisions lead to weekend absence for match officials

Referee Chris Kavanagh and assistant Nick Greenhalgh have not been assigned to any Premier League fixtures this weekend following their involvement in Saturday’s FA Cup fourth-round meeting between Aston Villa and Newcastle United.

The match at Villa Park was played without the support of video assistant referee technology, which will only be introduced from the fifth round onwards.

Their performances drew strong reactions after several contentious calls during the tie, prompting scrutiny of their decisions.

Appointments for matches are overseen by Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO), which considers a range of elements, including evaluations from an independent Key Match Incidents panel, to maintain oversight of refereeing standards.

Key incidents spark criticism

Among the most debated moments was Villa’s opening goal, where Tammy Abraham appeared to be in an offside position that went unpunished.

There were also appeals for a dismissal after Lucas Digne’s challenge on Jacob Murphy, while questions were raised about a potential offside involving Dan Burn in the build-up to Newcastle’s equaliser.

The most controversial episode concerned a handball decision against Digne. Although the defender was inside the penalty area, the infringement was judged to have occurred just outside the box.

Instead of awarding a spot-kick, the officials gave a free-kick, from which Sandro Tonali netted in the 63rd minute to level the score.

Speaking on Match of the Day, Wayne Rooney described the call as “one of the worst decisions I have ever seen.”

Elite status remains despite backlash

Despite the reaction, Kavanagh continues to hold a strong reputation within officiating circles.

In December, he was elevated to UEFA's elite refereeing list, joining Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor.

Meanwhile, the other assistant from the Villa Park fixture, Gary Beswick, has been selected to work at Nottingham Forest’s match against Liverpool on Sunday.