Two more Premier League referees to retire at the end of the season

Premier League referees Martin Atkinson and Jon Moss are set to retire at the end of the season and take up roles within the Professional Game Match Officials organisation.

They are the second and third high-profile English referees to announce their retirement this year, following the news in March that Mike Dean will be hanging up his whistle for good.

The Times have reported that Moss will be the new manager of the ‘select group one’ referees, who officiate in the Premier League, while Atkinson will be their coach.

However, Dean has not been offered a position at the PGMOL, but the fan-favourite official is expected to land a media-related job, following in the footsteps of the likes of BT Sport’s Peter Walton.

Atkinson, 51, began refereeing in the Premier League in 2005 and at the time of writing has officiated 709 games in all competitions throughout his career, including the 2011 FA Cup final and the 2014 League Cup final.

Moss, also 51, made his top-flight debut in 2011 and proceeded over Arsenal’s 4-0 win over Aston Villa in the 2015 FA Cup final.

The retirement of three senior officials has caused some concern about how the standard of refereeing in the Premier League will hold up, with the current crop of referees still struggling to adapt to new elements of the game, particularly with regards to VAR.

There is also worry about the age of officials in the top-flight with current Premier League referees Andre Marriner, Kevin Friend and Graham Scott all over the age of 50 and with few quality younger refs emerging.

For now, attention turns to this weekend’s games where Dean will take charge of Sunday’s match between West Ham and Arsenal, while Moss is the man in the middle for Tottenham vs Leicester on the same