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Footage And Audio Of A Mic'd Up Referee In FA Cup Final Is Fascinating

Footage And Audio Of A Mic'd Up Referee In FA Cup Final Is Fascinating

All of Michael Oliver's conversations with his fellow officials could be heard.

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

With all the talk about Premier League referees' conversations being broadcast, it is worth noting it did happen with Michael Oliver in the 2018 FA Cup final.

Chelsea beat Manchester United 1-0 at Wembley courtesy of a first half Eden Hazard penalty and NBCSN showed a fascinating clip whereby viewers could hear Oliver liaising with his fellow officials.

The sequence in question featured the all important moment of the match when Jones took out Hazard, denying him a clear goalscoring opportunity as he ran through on goal.

However, because he had attempted to play the ball, the former Blackburn man was only shown a yellow card.

In the above footage, fans watching at home were able to get a clearer idea of how Oliver and his team of officials came to make the decision.

We also hear the intervention from Neil Swarbrick on VAR duty. They checked the incident and agreed with Oliver's call that a penalty had to be awarded.

In addition, Oliver's interactions with players are also captured. He is heard telling players his desire to speak to captain Gary Cahill, as well as demanding the likes of Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard stay out of the area while Hazard takes the penalty.

Fans have shared videos from the Australian A-League and referees being mic'd up over there, but this footage from nearly three years ago shows that it can be done in a high-profile fixture in England.

And it could soon be a regular occurence in the Premier League after FA chief executive Mark Bullingham stated post-match audio files could bring 'value' to supporters.

At present, only broadcasters are allowed access to dialogue between officials in real-time. Speaking to Sky Sports News, Bullingham said: "I think it's absolutely worth exploring.

"Our starting point has to be that anything which adds value to the fan, and demystifies any part of the decision making by referees, has got to be something that we'd consider, of course.

"We then need to look at counter arguments that might exist from any referees feeling that's intrusive."

Sports such as rugby union and cricket provide real-time audio from officials as part of coverage, but for it to happen in football, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited [PGMOL] would have to give permission.

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Topics: Michael Oliver, Chelsea, Football, Manchester United, VAR