Michael Oliver is an English football referee born in Ashington, Northumberland, England on 20 February 1985. He made his Premier League debut on 21 August 2010. He has been FIFA-listed since 2012. One of England's most experienced officials, Oliver has handled major domestic and UEFA fixtures.
Michael Oliver is an English football referee born in Ashington, Northumberland, England on 20 February 1985. He made his Premier League debut on 21 August 2010. He has been FIFA-listed since 2012. One of England's most experienced officials, Oliver has handled major domestic and UEFA fixtures. He is part of the current Premier League officiating pool and is regularly relevant for pre-match analysis, appointment previews and VAR-focused discussion.
In the 2025/26 Premier League season, Oliver has officiated 22 league matches, averaging 22.23 fouls, 0.05 penalties, 2.82 yellow cards and 0.09 red cards per game. Those numbers point to a more measured and lower-card profile, with a relatively restrained yellow-card average. For The VAR Verdict, that statistical snapshot helps readers understand the disciplinary threshold and general tone he has shown this season.
Michael Oliver is presented with a data-first profile based on publicly available information and the statistics entered in the referee database.
Referee style: More measured and lower-card.
