Referee Bobby Madley to make Premier League return four years after being sacked

Madley will be in charge of Brentford's game against Wolves.

Bobby Madley will referee his first Premier League game this weekend - four years after he was sacked for appearing to mock a disabled person in a video. Madley refereed 91 games in the top flight between 2013 and 2018 before being removed from his role. The Daily Mail has reported that he is set to take charge of Brentford's game against Wolverhampton Wanderers this weekend. Following his dismissal, Madley briefly relocated to Norway before returning to officiate in the EFL in 2020. Initially, Madley took charge of League One and League Two games before being promoted to referee Championship games since the start of this season. During an interview in 2019, Madley said that his sacking had: "Destroyed my career, my reputation and caused immeasurable damage to my family life." One year later, the 37-year-old said that he would "give anything" to be a referee in England again and return to his "dream job". His brother, Andy, is also a Premier League referee and he will take charge of Brighton's game against Chelsea. The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) wants to reward referees who have performed well and Madley is viewed by the organisation as one of those matching the criteria. Additionally, the PGMOL is keen to make a better and smoother pathway for referees to progress through the ranks as part of the Elite Referee Development Plan. One of those who has also been rewarded is referee Sam Allison being named as the fourth official for the Brighton-Chelsea game this weekend. In 2020, Allison became the first black referee to officiate in the Football League sine Uriah Rennie, who retired in 2009.