Andre Marriner told to leave pitchside of Under-9s game for ‘mouthing off at a ref’

Not the best of examples

Marriner, who denies the claim, was allegedly told to move away from the touchline after mouthing the official in charge of the children's game.

As a top-flight official, Marriner has grown a reputation for being a referee who allows the game to flow and remain relaxed in key moments.

But according to The Guardian, the veteran Premier League referee's attitude when watching the game is far different to the one he has when working.

Throughout his own career the 52-year-old has taken charge of 386 fixtures in the English top-flight, handing out 1,197 yellow cards and 67 reds.

He could become only the third referee - alongside Mike Dean and Martin Atkinson - to officiate in over 400 Premier League games.

The 52-year-old also recently compared the level of scrutiny he and his colleagues receive to surgeons.

"I can’t think of any other job where there’s this much scrutiny over decision-making," he said. "Maybe a surgeon?"

Furthermore, the addition of VAR has added to the level of criticism and Marriner stressed that officials are in a similar position to the players and fans when it comes to using the technology.

"It’s about trying to bank up the incidents so there is a standard of when to interfere," he added. "Because VAR is new to us, we’re learning ourselves."

Related links:

• Referee Mike Dean reveals his daughter was sent death threats after a game
• Mike Dean comes out of retirement to become Premier League VAR official
• Mike Dean reveals why he ‘sniffed’ assistant referees’ shirt before kick-off