Former Premier League referee Taylor joins Turkish refereeing committee

Former Premier League and World Cup referee Anthony Taylor has joined the Turkish Central Refereeing Committee as ⁠director of elite ⁠refereeing, the organisation said on Tuesday.

Taylor retired last month following a 22-year career spanning ⁠831 matches. The 47-year-old’s final refereeing assignment was the Portugal v Spain World Cup round-of-16 game in Dallas last month.

“Having officiated at the highest levels of domestic and international football, I welcome the opportunity to bring that ⁠experience ⁠to a role focused on the strategic and technical development of elite refereeing in Türkiye,” Taylor said in a statement.

“I will work with colleagues across the Federation to support the continued development ⁠of its match officials and strengthen the wider refereeing programme, in line with UEFA and FIFA standards.”

Taylor is the latest former English top-flight referee to move abroad after ⁠retirement, ‌following ‌Howard Webb and Mark ⁠Clattenburg, who both held ‌senior refereeing roles in Saudi Arabia.

Taylor spent 16 ⁠seasons refereeing in the ⁠Premier League, overseeing 432 matches ⁠in England’s top flight.