The body that is responsible for Premier League officials has made a major call on Anthony Taylor following criticism of the referee's performance in Chelsea's chaotic win over Bournemouth.
Taylor, 45, left fans and pundits stunned as he dished out a Premier League record 14 bookings in Saturday's game at the Vitality Stadium, which ended in a 1-0 win for Chelsea.
That beat the previous record of 12 which had been shown in two previous games; Wolves vs Newcastle in 2010 and Chelsea's infamous Battle of the Bridge clash with Tottenham in 2016.
Taylor booked eight Chelsea players at the weekend, including debutant Jadon Sancho, along with six from Bournemouth.
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Meanwhile, Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca and Bournemouth fitness coach Pablo de la Torre were also shown yellow cards during the ill-tempered clash on the south coast.
Both clubs were later handed £25,000 fines by the FA for their players' behaviour in the match.
Speaking after the game, Bournemouth captain Adam Smith blasted Taylor's performance as "mental".
"I can't deal with it any more. Every foul was a yellow. It's mental," said Smith.
"He booked me for just going up to talk to him about the penalty and the sending-off decision.
"I'm the captain and I'm allowed to do that but he said I had come from a far distance and that's why he booked me. But I don't understand."
Taylor has been subjected to abuse on social media since the game. The Premier League has now launched an investigation into the abuse, while the body that oversees top-flight officials – the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) – has offered him support.
The PGMOL has also made the decision to not select him as a referee for the next round of Premier League games.
Instead, Taylor will act as the fourth official for Southampton vs Ipswich on Saturday.
While the following day, the experienced official will take up the same role for Brighton vs Nottingham Forest.
Topics: Premier League, Chelsea, Bournemouth, Football
Rory O'Callaghan