Newcastle United-supporting referee makes high-profile appearance in Saudi Arabia
Michael Oliver has made a surprise appearance in Saudi Arabia – to officiate a high-profile Saudi Pro League fixture.
The Ashington-born referee, a Newcastle United fan, was in charge of last night's game between Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal in Riyadh.
Fourth-placed Al-Hilal, beaten 5-0 by Newcastle in a friendly in December, won 2-0 thanks to two penalties from former Premier League striker Odion Ighalo. Oliver booked Ronaldo – who had a goal disallowed for offside by VAR – for wrestling Gustavo Cuellar to the ground.
Ronaldo joined second-placed Al-Nassr in December after criticising Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag in an interview.
Red Devils fans were critical of Oliver’s appointment for their club's game against Everton earlier this month given his support for Newcastle, who are 80%-owned owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and rivalling ten Hag’s side for a Champions League place.
Oliver, like every Premier League referee, is not allowed to officiate games involving the club he supports.
“I never referee Newcastle games,” Oliver told the Daily Mail in 2021 when Newcastle were in a relegation battle. “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.
“Because Newcastle are invariably involved in a relegation battle, when you get to March or April, it means I can’t referee anyone around them towards the bottom three.
"If Newcastle needed a point to survive, and the team they were fighting to get above was, say, Villa, I couldn’t referee Villa’s game either.”