Premier League and World Cup referee Taylor retires

Premier League and World Cup referee Taylor retiresImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Anthony Taylor's last Premier League game was the fixture between West Ham United and Leeds United on 24 MayByDale JohnsonFootball issues correspondentPublished1 minute agoAnthony Taylor has announced his retirement from refereeing with immediate effect after a 20-year career and 831 matches.The 47-year-old's final game was Spain's 1-0 win over Portugal in the World Cup last 16 on 6 July.Taylor, who was a prison officer before becoming a professional referee, was first added to the Football League referees' list at the start of the 2006-07 season.Promotion to the Premier League followed in 2010, where he took charge of 432 top-flight matches and officiated every major domestic cup final."Officiating at the elite level has been an immense privilege, but the pressure is intense and the scrutiny is constant," Taylor said. "The time is now right to step aside and look forward to transitioning to the next chapter of my career."The Wythenshawe-born official, who had been on Fifa's list of officials for 14 years, was also selected for the 2022 World Cup, and the Euros in 2020 and 2024.In total, he officiated 163 international matches.Taylor was shortlisted to referee the 2022 World Cup final, but was discounted because of political tensions between England and finalists Argentina.Howard Webb, chief refereeing officer at Pro Ref, said: "Anthony has been a fantastic servant to the game over many years, both domestically and on the international stage. "He has been repeatedly trusted to officiate in the biggest games including Portugal against Spain in this summer's World Cup which ultimately capped off an outstanding career."Confronted by Mourinho in a car parkTo play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.This video can not be playedFigure caption, My family no longer attend matches due to abuse - Anth...