Being a referee at any level of sport isn’t always a great time. The majority of the time no one likes you and every call you make will have someone disagreeing with you. For Premier League referee Anthony Taylor this is nothing new. But this week, Taylor made a call that no one will dispute.
Taylor’s sister, Kate, is one of the many heroic doctors fighting the novel coronavirus. In a video interview the Premier League referee said helping the National Health Service (NHS) is the least he could do to help.
NEW: Premier League referee Anthony Taylor becomes NHS volunteer. His sister Kate is a doctor: “What she’s having to deal with... it’s the very least I could do.” @SkySportsNews #NHS #StayHomeSaveLives pic.twitter.com/GNR5w2IHp2
— Bryan Swanson (@skysports_bryan) March 28, 2020
The Premier League has been postponed for nearly all of March, but there's some hope it will return by June 1. In the United Kingdom there are over 22,000 confirmed cases, including Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The country is under lockdown with football a rightful afterthought.
Taylor, who has been officiating in the Premier League since 2010, said he believes football can do a lot of good still. The official said the sport can be used as a vehicle to help those in need.
CORONAVIRUS: “It certainly is a reality check. Football needs to be used as a vehicle to try and help...”
Premier League referee Anthony Taylor talks about the need for social responsibility.@SkySportsNews #NHS #StayHomeSaveLives pic.twitter.com/saE1rjS6GB— Bryan Swanson (@skysports_bryan) March 28, 2020