World Cup and Premier League referee Anthony Taylor announces retirement

The Independent

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• Premier League and World Cup referee Anthony Taylor has announced his retirement after a distinguished 20-year career, during which he officiated 831 matches.
• The 47-year-old Manchester official oversaw 668 professional domestic games, including every major domestic cup final, and was promoted to the Premier League in 2010.
• Taylor refereed at four major international tournaments, specifically the 2022 and 2026 World Cups, and the 2020 and 2024 European Championships, taking charge of 163 international matches in total.
• His final match was a World Cup round of 16 tie between Portugal and Spain earlier this month, and he stated that the time was right to step aside due to the intense pressure and constant scrutiny of elite-level officiating.
• Howard Webb, chief refereeing officer at Pro Ref, praised Taylor as a 'fantastic servant to the game' and one of the most successful officials English football has produced, highlighting his professionalism and role model status.