Mike Riley (referee)
Michael Riley (born 17 December 1964) is an ex-professional football referee, who has refereed matches in the English Football League, Premier League, and for FIFA. Riley currently serves as the general manager of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited.
 | |||
| Full name | Michael Riley | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
17 December 1964 Leeds, England | ||
| Other occupation | Accountant | ||
| Domestic | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 1989–1994 | Football League | Asst. referee | |
| 1994–1996 | Football League | Referee | |
| 1996–2009 | Premier League | Referee | |
| International | |||
| Years | League | Role | |
| 1999–2009 | FIFA listed | Referee | |
Career
Riley was born in Leeds[1] in West Yorkshire.
He became a national Football League referee in 1994, having previously served five years on their assistant referees' list. He was later granted FIFA status in 1999 allowing him to officiate international fixtures.[2]
In 2002, Riley refereed the English FA Cup Final between Arsenal and Chelsea, which he later stated was "the highlight of my career".[3]
Riley took charge of the 2004 Football League Cup Final, between Bolton and Middlesbrough, in a game that saw all three goals scored within the first 25 minutes. He awarded a penalty to Middlesbrough after seven minutes and cautioned five players during the course of the game.
Riley also headed England's refereeing team alongside assistants Philip Sharp and Glenn Turner at the UEFA Euro 2004 finals.[4]
Riley refereed the controversial 2004 match between Manchester United and Arsenal, also known as the Battle of the Buffet, with the result ending Arsenal's record-breaking 49 match unbeaten run.[5]
Riley officiated the Football League Championship playoff final between West Ham United and Preston North End in 2005. West Ham ran out 1–0 victors, seeing them promoted to the FA Premier League.
Riley was invited to go to Hong Kong to take charge of the 2006–07 Hong Kong FA Cup final between South China and Happy Valley in 2007. South China won by 3–1, allowing them to achieve a treble in local competitions (First Division League, Senior Shield and FA Cup). Riley gave three penalty kicks in the match, two for South China and one for Happy Valley.[6]
Mike Riley was appointed manager of the Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMOB) in June 2009, replacing Keith Hackett. This effectively ended his career in refereeing matches.
Career statistics
| Season | Games | Total  | per game | Total  | per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 28 | 87 | 3.11 | 3 | 0.11 |
| 1998–99 | 23 | 81 | 3.52 | 7 | 0.30 |
| 1999–2000 | 28 | 93 | 3.32 | 9 | 0.32 |
| 2000–01 | 36 | 141 | 3.92 | 9 | 0.25 |
| 2001–02 | 31 | 117 | 3.77 | 19 | 0.61 |
| 2002–03 | 33 | 105 | 3.18 | 7 | 0.21 |
| 2003–04 | 38 | 130 | 3.42 | 6 | 0.16 |
| 2004–05 | 39 | 117 | 3.00 | 11 | 0.28 |
| 2005–06 | 42 | 147 | 3.50 | 16 | 0.31 |
| 2006–07 | 43 | 145 | 3.37 | 13 | 0.30 |
| 2007–08 | 37 | 124 | 3.35 | 6 | 0.16 |
| 2008–09 | 35 | 145 | 4.14 | 6 | 0.17 |
| Overall | 444 | 1432 | 3.23 | 109 | 0.25 |
| Please Note: There are no available records prior to 1997/1998 | |||||
References
- "David Moyes questions Mike Riley's allegiance to Manchester United". London: The Guardian. 17 April 2009. Retrieved 21 April 2009.
- Profile Archived 15 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine at the Football League Official website
- "FA Cup Final 2002 – the highlight" of Mike Riley's career: Interview at TheFA.com
- Confirmation of appointments for Euro 2004: OfficialSports.co.uk
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/eng_prem/3727552.stm Match report from the BBC website
- Hong Kong FA Cup Final, match report: EnglishSINA.com
External links
| Preceded by Graham Barber |
FA Charity Shield 2000 |
Succeeded by Andy D'Urso |
| Preceded by Steve Dunn |
FA Cup Final Referee 2002 |
Succeeded by Graham Barber |
| Preceded by Paul Durkin |
League Cup Final 2004 |
Succeeded by Steve Bennett |
Authority control  |
|---|