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4 months ago
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Anthony Taylor is reportedly set to miss out on officiating the Euro 2024 final amid a storm of thousands of fans calling for his name to be struck from UEFA's refereeing list and for Germany's quarter-final defeat to be replayed.
The Premier League referee drew the ire of Germany fans after he turned down calls for handball against Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella in their quarter-final defeat last Friday. Spain won the tie 2-1 in extra time.
More than 32,000 outraged supporters have signed a petition calling for him to be reprimanded for the decision and for the match to be replayed.
Regardless of his performance at the tournament, Taylor's involvement in the final would be subject to the result of England's semi-final against the Netherlands on Wednesday.
As a result, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, experienced Italian referee Daniele Orsato is in prime position to take charge of the showpiece in Berlin on July 14.
Anthony Taylor enraged Germany fans after deciding not to award the hosts a penalty in their defeat by Spain
Jamal Musiala's shot struck the hand of Spain's Marc Cucurella in the penalty box in extra time
Daniele Orsato was the man in the middle for England's penalty shoot-out win over Switzerland
They report that Polish official Szymon Marciniak, who refereed the 2022 World Cup final, is another name in the frame for the prestigious gig.
Orsata has been a FIFA referee since 2010 and has officiated a number of important finals, including the Coppa Italia finals in 2013 and 2015 as well as the 2020 Champions League final between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.
He was the man in the middle for England's quarter-final win over Switzerland, with his blow of the whistle before Trent Alexander-Arnold's winning penalty expected to be the last of his career.
The 48-year-old is set to end his time as a referee after the tournament in Germany but may yet get the chance to go out on a high.
The possibility of both France and England taking part in the Olympiastadion final could rule out the likes of Frenchman Francois Letexier and the Premier League's Michael Oliver - who have both taken games in the tournament.
As for Taylor, his high-profile calls may have put pay to his chances even if the Three Lions don't make it to the last match.
In addition to the furore that followed his decision during Spain's win over Germany, earlier in the competition, Taylor was at the centre of another controversial call. He and VAR Stuart Atwell were slammed for disallowing Xavi Simmons' goal late on against France.
Polish official Szymon Marciniak, who refereed the 2022 World Cup final, is another name in the frame for the prestigious gig
Premier League referee Michael Oliver took charge of France's quarter-final win over Portugal
Unlike many instances of VAR intervention at the tournament, the check dragged on for several minutes as the Dutch supporters in attendance held their breath.
After a review of the 'goal', it was ultimately ruled out as Netherlands defender Denzel Dumfries - who was in an offside position - was judged to have impeded French goalkeeper Mike Maignan.
Despite the outcry from fans and pundits, Taylor and Atwell received the backing of UEFA, who conducted a review and determined that the decision was 'totally correct.'
'The UEFA referee committee totally supported the decision.' UEFA refereeing chief Roberto Rosetti said.
'We think that the decision is right and we are also happy about the process.
'There are always elements for improvement. In this situation, the element of improvement is the duration of this review. For sure the duration can be less, we can decrease the duration of the review (but) I want to tell you that it's not easy.
'In this situation the VAR checked two possible offsides, he had to check the possible impact of the attacker on the goalkeeper and a previous contact between two other players.'
Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk vented his frustration with the English officials after the clash.
The Netherlands captain Virgil van Dijk expressed his frustration with the 'English referees' after the match
In his review of officiating in the tournament so far UEFA managing director for referees Roberto Rosetti insisted Taylor's decision was the correct one
'We scored a goal that is a fair goal.' The Liverpool star said. 'He had no chance to get into that corner. But yeah, the English referee decided to disallow it.'
German referee Felix Zwayer will be the man in the middle when Van Dijk and Co take on England in the second semi-final in Dortmund on Wednesday. Slovenian Slavko Vincic will officiate the clash between France and Portugal 24 hour prior.
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