Martin Atkinson English football referee Date of Birth: 31.03.1971 Country: Great Britain

1. Early Life and Career
2. Rise to National Stardom
3. Premier League Debut and FIFA Status
4. International Officiating
5. Controversies

Early Life and Career

Martin Atkinson is an English football referee who officiates matches in the English Premier League. Born in Bradford, he currently resides in Leeds, Yorkshire. Atkinson's passion for refereeing started at a young age, with his officiating career commencing at the age of 16. By 1998, he had been inducted into the Football League's list of assistant referees.

Rise to National Stardom

Atkinson's advancement continued, and by December 2002, he was officiating as a referee in the Football Conference. He also took charge of the 2003 FA Youth Cup Final. The 2003/04 season witnessed Atkinson breaking into the England National List of Referees. Notably, during a time between August 2004 and October 2005, he refrained from issuing any red cards.

Premier League Debut and FIFA Status

わずか2年でカンファレンスでのデビューを果たしてから,アткиンソンはマンチェスターシティとバーミンガムシティとのプレミアリーグの試合で審判に任命されました. 2005年4月20日に開催されたこの試合で、アトキンソンは1枚のイエローカードのみを提示し、ビジターチームへの1つのペナルティを与えました. 2006年8月13日、アトキンソンはリバプールとチェルシーが対戦したFAコミュニティ・シールドの審判を務めました. その同じ2006年に、彼はFIFAの審判リストに含まれました.

International Officiating

Atkinson's refereeing expertise extended to the international level. In October 2009, he officiated a FIFA World Cup qualifier between Germany and Finland, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

Controversies

Despite his overall success, Atkinson has not been immune to criticism. In April 2010, during the Birmingham derby between Aston Villa and Birmingham City, he awarded a late penalty for an infringement by Roger Johnson on Gabriel Agbonlahor. Television replays suggested that Johnson had played the ball and that there was no foul. Birmingham City's manager criticized Atkinson for this decision, which effectively sealed a 1-0 victory for Aston Villa.

Further criticism was leveled at Atkinson's refereeing during the Chelsea vs. Manchester United match played at Stamford Bridge on March 1, 2011. Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson, as well as former referee Graham Poll, widely regarded as one of England's top referees, highlighted multiple questionable calls made by Atkinson in the game. Notably, Atkinson failed to award a penalty for a handball by John Terry in the first half, refrained from giving David Luiz a second yellow card for a clear foul on Wayne Rooney, and controversially awarded a penalty against Manchester United late in the game, while also sending off United captain Nemanja Vidić. Ferguson and Graham Poll opined that these decisions had a significant impact on the outcome of the match, which Chelsea won 2-1. Incidentally, the previous meeting between the two teams at Stamford Bridge, also officiated by Atkinson, had witnessed Chelsea securing a late winner through a dubious free-kick awarded against United. Ferguson had criticized Atkinson's officiating after that match as well.