Alan Wiley
Encyclopedia
Alan G. Wiley is a former English
football
referee in the FA Premier League
, and he is based in Burntwood
, Staffordshire
.
List. In 1994, he was promoted to the FA Premier League List of assistant referees, and a year later progressed to the Football League referees' List.
In 1998, Wiley refereed the FA Women's Cup
Final
, when Arsenal
beat Croydon 3–2. Wiley made the step up to full Premier League referee in 1999, taking charge of his first match on 11 August 1999 at The Dell between Southampton
and Leeds United
, which the away side won 3–0.
In 2000, he was fourth official for the FA Cup Final
at Wembley, when Chelsea
defeated Aston Villa
1-0, courtesy of a Roberto Di Matteo
goal after 73 minutes. Wiley got the appointment despite growing up as a season ticket holder at Villa's rivals, Birmingham City
.
He was subsequently given the honour of refereeing two Football League Cup
semi-finals (2003 and 2006), but his first prestige men's game as man-in-the-middle was the Community Shield match at the Millennium Stadium
, Cardiff
, between Arsenal
and Liverpool
on 11 August 2002. The London
side ran out 1–0 winners, thanks to a Gilberto Silva
goal in the second half.
Wiley was the referee for the 2005–06
Carling Cup
final between Manchester United
and Wigan Athletic
, also at the Millennium Stadium – United winning 4–0.
He then took charge of the FA Cup Final
on 13 May 2006 when Liverpool played West Ham United
, at the same venue. Mike Dean
was originally appointed to referee the game but the Football Association
took the unusual step of replacing him after concerns were raised about his ability to be impartial towards Liverpool, who are based near Dean's home town on Merseyside
. In the game, Liverpool triumphed on penalties
by 3–1, the score at the end of extra time being 3 goals each.
Wiley was on the receiving end of an Alex Ferguson
tirade following Manchester United's loss to Chelsea on 26 April 2008, when Chelsea were awarded a penalty for handball. Manchester United's bench claimed the ball had hit midfielder Michael Carrick
on the shoulder, however the penalty was awarded by assistant referee Glenn Turner, and was scored to give Chelsea
a 2–1 lead.
On 24 May 2008, Wiley took charge of the Championship Playoff Final between Hull City and Bristol City at Wembley Stadium, a match which Hull City won.
Wiley officiated the match between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford
on 14 March 2009, in which he awarded two penalty kicks (one to Manchester United and one to Liverpool,) as well as a red card to United's Nemanja Vidić
. Commentator Andy Gray said on Sky Sports's TV commentary, following Vidić's dismissal that, "Alan Wiley, in my opinion, has got all the big decisions (today) right." Liverpool's Fabio Aurelio would score the resulting free-kick, putting his team up 3–1 in a match they won by a final scoreline of 4–1.
On 15 August 2009, he had the honour of refereeing the first game of the new Premier League season between Chelsea F.C.
and Hull City A.F.C.
, Chelsea ran out 2–1 winners.
On 3 October 2009 Sir Alex Ferguson launched a scathing attack on Wiley in a post-match interview following Manchester United's 2–2 draw against Sunderland, complaining that Wiley was 'not fit enough for a game of that standard' and accused Wiley of 'walking up the pitch for the second goal needing a rest'. Ferguson received a four game touchline ban (two of which were suspended) and a £20,000 fine for his comments.
Ferguson has since apologised to Wiley but stated that the overall fitness of referees in the Premier League needs to be addressed.
On 20 January 2010, Wiley did not penalise Arsenal
's William Gallas
for his tackle on Bolton
's Mark Davies in a sequence that led to an Arsenal goal. Bolton manager Owen Coyle
said that Gallas should have been sent off.
Wiley was accused of a further blunder-prone performance the following month when he disallowed a late Ryan Shawcross
goal for Stoke City
against Manchester City
and did not punish a blatant kick from Patrick Vieira
on Glenn Whelan
.
In April 2010, Wiley was reported to have performed inconsistently in his handling of an FA Cup
semi-final match between Portsmouth
and Tottenham
.
In July 2010, Wiley retired from refereeing and agreed to become a full time referee coach, sharing his expertise in developing the next generation of referees.
He currently holds an FA Preliminary Coaching Badge.
(There are no available records prior to 1997/1998)
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
referee in the FA Premier League
FA Premier League
The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with The Football League. The Premier...
, and he is based in Burntwood
Burntwood
Burntwood is a town in Staffordshire, England, lying in the Cannock Chase area approximately west of Lichfield. The town had a population of 25,674 at the time of the 2001 census and forms part of Lichfield district. The town forms one of the largest urbanised parishes in England. Samuel Johnson...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
.
Career
Wiley first took up the whistle in 1981, then officiated in the West Midlands (Regional) League until 1991, when he became an assistant referee on the Football LeagueThe Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
List. In 1994, he was promoted to the FA Premier League List of assistant referees, and a year later progressed to the Football League referees' List.
In 1998, Wiley refereed the FA Women's Cup
FA Women's Cup
The Football Association Women’s Challenge Cup Competition, commonly referred to as the FA Women's Cup, is the top cup competition for women's football clubs in England – designed as an exact equivalent to the FA Cup created 99 years earlier...
Final
Final (competition)
The final of a competition is the match or round in which the winner of the entire event is decided.In sports competitions following a knockout system, where only two individuals or teams compete in each match, the final is usually played between the winners of two semi-finals...
, when Arsenal
Arsenal L.F.C.
Arsenal Ladies Football Club are an English women's association football club affiliated with Arsenal F.C.. Founded in 1987, they are the most successful club in English women's football having won 34 major trophies to date; which are 12 FA Women's Premier League titles, 11 FA Women's Cups, ten...
beat Croydon 3–2. Wiley made the step up to full Premier League referee in 1999, taking charge of his first match on 11 August 1999 at The Dell between Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
and Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
, which the away side won 3–0.
In 2000, he was fourth official for the FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final 2000
The 2000 FA Cup Final took place on 20 May 2000 and was the last to be played at the old Wembley Stadium. It was contested between Chelsea and Aston Villa, who had finished 5th and 6th respectively in the Premier League that season...
at Wembley, when Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
defeated Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
1-0, courtesy of a Roberto Di Matteo
Roberto Di Matteo
Roberto Di Matteo is a Swiss-born Italian former professional footballer and the current assistant manager of Chelsea. As a midfielder, he enjoyed spells at Schaffhausen, Zürich Aarau, Lazio, and Chelsea. He was capped by Italy 34 times, scoring two goals for the Italian national team, and played...
goal after 73 minutes. Wiley got the appointment despite growing up as a season ticket holder at Villa's rivals, Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
.
He was subsequently given the honour of refereeing two Football League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
semi-finals (2003 and 2006), but his first prestige men's game as man-in-the-middle was the Community Shield match at the Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
, Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, between Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
and Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
on 11 August 2002. The London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
side ran out 1–0 winners, thanks to a Gilberto Silva
Gilberto Silva
Gilberto Aparecido da Silva, commonly known as Gilberto Silva, is a Brazilian footballer. He currently plays for Grêmio.Gilberto was raised in a poor family and as a child he balanced playing football with various labour jobs. He began his football career in 1997 with América Mineiro, where good...
goal in the second half.
Wiley was the referee for the 2005–06
2005-06 in English football
The 2005–06 season was the 126th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*The rebuilt Wembley Stadium was due to open in time for the FA Cup final in May. However, in August 2005, The Football Association reserved the Millennium Stadium as a backup, as there was some doubt whether...
Carling Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
final between Manchester United
Manchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
and Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
, also at the Millennium Stadium – United winning 4–0.
He then took charge of the FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final 2006
The 2006 FA Cup Final was the final and deciding match of the 2005-06 FA Cup. It took place on 13 May 2006 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, the last FA Cup Final to be held there, as the new Wembley Stadium finished completion. The match saw the 2001 cup winners Liverpool beat London club West...
on 13 May 2006 when Liverpool played West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
, at the same venue. Mike Dean
Mike Dean (referee)
-Coin-throwing incident:On 5 April 2009 in the South Wales derby between Cardiff City and Swansea City, Dean suffered a cut to the forehead resulting from what appeared to be a coin thrown by a Cardiff supporter. He later awarded Cardiff a debatable penalty, which was converted to earn a draw for...
was originally appointed to referee the game but the Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
took the unusual step of replacing him after concerns were raised about his ability to be impartial towards Liverpool, who are based near Dean's home town on Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
. In the game, Liverpool triumphed on penalties
Penalty shootout (football)
A penalty shoot-out, referred to as kicks from the penalty mark in the Laws of the Game, is the FIFA official term for a method used in association football to decide which team progresses to the next stage of a tournament following a tied game...
by 3–1, the score at the end of extra time being 3 goals each.
Wiley was on the receiving end of an Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
tirade following Manchester United's loss to Chelsea on 26 April 2008, when Chelsea were awarded a penalty for handball. Manchester United's bench claimed the ball had hit midfielder Michael Carrick
Michael Carrick
Michael Carrick is an English footballer who plays as a midfielder for Manchester United and the England national team. He has made more than 300 Premier League appearances and played in 50 UEFA Champions League games as of April 2011...
on the shoulder, however the penalty was awarded by assistant referee Glenn Turner, and was scored to give Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
a 2–1 lead.
On 24 May 2008, Wiley took charge of the Championship Playoff Final between Hull City and Bristol City at Wembley Stadium, a match which Hull City won.
Wiley officiated the match between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford
Old Trafford
Old Trafford commonly refers to two sporting arenas:* Old Trafford, home of Manchester United F.C.* Old Trafford Cricket Ground, home of Lancashire County Cricket ClubOld Trafford can also refer to:...
on 14 March 2009, in which he awarded two penalty kicks (one to Manchester United and one to Liverpool,) as well as a red card to United's Nemanja Vidić
Nemanja Vidic
Nemanja Vidić is a Serbian footballer who captains English Premier League club Manchester United. He was part of the Serbia national football team from 2002 to 2011....
. Commentator Andy Gray said on Sky Sports's TV commentary, following Vidić's dismissal that, "Alan Wiley, in my opinion, has got all the big decisions (today) right." Liverpool's Fabio Aurelio would score the resulting free-kick, putting his team up 3–1 in a match they won by a final scoreline of 4–1.
On 15 August 2009, he had the honour of refereeing the first game of the new Premier League season between Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
and Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
, Chelsea ran out 2–1 winners.
On 3 October 2009 Sir Alex Ferguson launched a scathing attack on Wiley in a post-match interview following Manchester United's 2–2 draw against Sunderland, complaining that Wiley was 'not fit enough for a game of that standard' and accused Wiley of 'walking up the pitch for the second goal needing a rest'. Ferguson received a four game touchline ban (two of which were suspended) and a £20,000 fine for his comments.
Ferguson has since apologised to Wiley but stated that the overall fitness of referees in the Premier League needs to be addressed.
On 20 January 2010, Wiley did not penalise Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
's William Gallas
William Gallas
William Eric Gallas is a French footballer who plays for Tottenham Hotspur.Gallas began his career in France, before being signed by English club Chelsea in 2001. He transferred to rivals Arsenal as part of an exchange deal in 2006...
for his tackle on Bolton
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
's Mark Davies in a sequence that led to an Arsenal goal. Bolton manager Owen Coyle
Owen Coyle
Owen Columba Coyle is a Scottish-born Irish international former professional player and professional association football manager . He is currently the manager of Bolton Wanderers....
said that Gallas should have been sent off.
Wiley was accused of a further blunder-prone performance the following month when he disallowed a late Ryan Shawcross
Ryan Shawcross
Ryan James Shawcross is an English footballer who plays as a defender for Stoke City.He previously was on the books of Manchester United, and had loan spells at Royal Antwerp and Stoke City respectively, before joining the latter permanently during January 2008. He was appointed as Stoke's captain...
goal for Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
against Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
and did not punish a blatant kick from Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira
Patrick Vieira is a retired French footballer of Senegalese descent who is the Football Development Executive at Manchester City....
on Glenn Whelan
Glenn Whelan
Glenn David Whelan is an Irish footballer who plays as a centre midfielder from Premier League club Stoke City and the Republic of Ireland national team....
.
In April 2010, Wiley was reported to have performed inconsistently in his handling of an FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
semi-final match between Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
and Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
.
In July 2010, Wiley retired from refereeing and agreed to become a full time referee coach, sharing his expertise in developing the next generation of referees.
He currently holds an FA Preliminary Coaching Badge.
Career statistics
| Season | Games | Total | per game | Total | per game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997/1998 | 41 | 126 | 3.07 | 4 | 0.10 |
| 1998/1999 | 40 | 158 | 3.95 | 7 | 0.18 |
| 1999/2000 | 34 | 101 | 2.97 | 3 | 0.09 |
| 2000/2001 | 40 | 124 | 3.10 | 2 | 0.05 |
| 2001/2002 | 34 | 90 | 2.65 | 3 | 0.09 |
| 2002/2003 | 35 | 99 | 2.83 | 5 | 0.14 |
| 2003/2004 | 28 | 93 | 3.32 | 3 | 0.11 |
| 2004/2005 | 32 | 78 | 2.44 | 5 | 0.16 |
| 2005/2006 | 44 | 142 | 3.23 | 7 | 0.16 |
| 2006/2007 | 42 | 135 | 3.21 | 4 | 0.09 |
| 2007/2008 | 40 | 125 | 3.12 | 3 | 0.07 |
| 2008/2009 | 6 | 17 | 2.83 | 1 | 0.16 |
(There are no available records prior to 1997/1998)
External links
- Alan Wiley Profile at Refworld.com
- Alan Wiley Referee Statistics at soccerbase.com