Referee at centre of Arsenal controversy handed FOURTH Gunners match already this season

When Arsenal face Newcastle United on Sunday, they will see a familiar face at the centre of proceedings on Tyneside. That's because referee Jarred Gillett is set to officiate his FOURTH Arsenal match of the Premier League season already.

It is an astonishingly high number given the game at St James' Park will only be the Gunners' sixth league game of the campaign. John Brooks has been on VAR duty for three Liverpool games so far, but now Gillett will be out on his own.

The Australian also refereed Arsenal's 5-0 victory over Leeds at the Emirates last month. Gillett was the fourth official during Arsenal's win at Manchester United on the season's opening weekend and was also the VAR for Arsenal's match against Manchester City last weekend, with Stuart Attwell taking charge on the pitch.

Interestingly, that was Attwell's first Arsenal match since November 2023 when he oversaw Newcastle's controversial win over the Gunners, which prompted a club statement from the north London side.

Gillett had no part in Arsenal's 3-0 triumph over Nottingham Forest this season. Nor was he on duty for Arsenal's loss at Liverpool last month.

It is believed Gillett is not given Liverpool games because it has been reported in Australia that he is a Liverpool fan. However, referees' body, The Professional Game Match Officials, has not confirmed Gillett's allegiances.

It may just be a peculiar coincidence, but it may well have Mikel Arteta wondering why they keep getting the same official. There is no suggestion that Gillett has made any wrong calls this season even if there have been previous controversies.

However, Gillett was in the VAR booth when he advised referee Rob Jones to consult the pitch-side monitor at Bournemouth, resulting in William Saliba being shown a red card for a professional foul last season. He controversially ruled out an Arsenal goal at Aston Villa in December 2023 for handball, and was also the man in charge when Gunners fans believed Yerson Mosquera should have been dismissed during Arsenal's victory over Wolves last season.

Last season, the PGMOL decided not to disclose any referee's allegiances, but there are strict rules preventing them from officiating matches involving teams they support - or their rivals. For instance, Michael Oliver doesn't oversee Newcastle or Sunderland matches, as he's openly a Newcastle supporter.

The PGMOL insist there's no problem with Gillett and that he's one of their top officials, hence he gets assigned to the biggest matches. Arsenal's journey to Newcastle is the main event on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.

There are 72 officials required to cover 60 Premier League appointments, in addition to 12 refs for Championship games. Evidently, each weekend needs 60 officials on duty, including the referee, fourth official, two assistant referees and the VAR plus assistant VAR.

That's six for each match and there are 10 matches.

Several specialist VARs exist, along with six new referees who mainly work in the Championship but are being promoted to some Premier League duties. Gillett, Banks and Oliver are skilled in both referee and VAR duties, hence they naturally receive more appointments.

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