4 Jan 2010Top-flight needs more referees, says Poll

Football Leagues/ Association and Governance | Football Referees, Players, Managers and Media

Graham Poll has claimed that more match officials are required to uphold refereeing standards in the English Premier League.

Speaking to the BBC, the former referee claimed that the relatively small number of officials presiding over fixtures in the top tier of English football is "not healthy" for the game.

There are currently 16 referees operating in the division, but Poll has urged new referees' chief Mike Riley to increase that figure as a matter of urgency.

"Refereeing a team seven or eight times a season is not healthy," he told the news provider.

"The first thing Mike Riley needs to do is look lower down the national list and promote more people up to be a Premier League referee."

Riley succeeded Keith Hackett as general manager of the Professional Game Match Officials organisation this month.

Having retired from refereeing in 2007, Poll now concentrates on media work and writes a weekly column on football issues for the Daily Mail.

Written by Terry Mitchell

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