Under the leadership of Liam Rosenior, Chelsea players have adopted a ritual of gathering in the center circle before each match.
However, during their pre-match huddle against Newcastle United on Saturday, a peculiar incident occurred when referee Paul Tierney positioned himself in the middle of the players while captain Reece James addressed the team.
Newcastle achieved a victory at Stamford Bridge for the first time in 14 years, and afterwards, Rosenior expressed that Tierney should have concentrated on his duties instead of intruding on Chelsea’s pre-match tradition. He indicated that he would reach out to PGMOL, the refereeing authority, to seek clarification on why their ritual was interrupted.
But whose side is right?
Andy Davies (@andydaviesref) is a former Select Group referee with over 12 seasons on the elite list, officiating in both the Premier League and Championship. He brings extensive experience at the highest level and has worked in the VAR context within the Premier League, providing valuable insights into the protocols and rationale that govern matchday operations.
The huddle has become a common practice for Rosenior’s team before matches in recent weeks. However, on this occasion, referee Tierney was positioned in the center circle and was seen interfering with Chelsea’s huddle while holding the match ball.
The more I observe Tierney in the midst of the Chelsea huddle, the more I question his choice to remain in that position with the match ball.
Referees are well-prepared; Tierney likely anticipated Chelsea’s huddle would take place, and with Newcastle set to kick off, he aimed to be proactive in preventing any potential issues with the opposing team.
Nonetheless, his choice to stand over the ball while Chelsea players joined arms around him, without moving to a neutral position, is perplexing and unnecessarily heightened the situation’s visibility.
Interestingly, the Chelsea players appeared unfazed by Tierney’s presence as they continued with their huddle. It would not be surprising if they had been informed by Tierney prior to the match that he would take this stance should Newcastle initiate the game.
Regardless, the optics were not favorable for the PGMOL, the Premier League, or Tierney himself.
This was an absurd situation that could have—and should have—been handled more effectively.