Anthony Taylor and controversies go hand in hand. It’s not often that the English match referee oversees a game, and it doesn’t end up with fans discussing some sort of drama. Well, if you thought the Euro 2024 quarterfinals between Germany and Spain would be any different, you were gravely mistaken. While Spain picked up the win in the dying minutes of the extra time thanks to Mikel Merino, it was Taylor who once again ended up being the story of the night.

Taylor dished out a whopping 15 yellow cards during the contest over the 120 minutes. While this might make you think the referee wasn’t letting any transgression pass; it was definitely not the case. The match saw the official take multiple controversial calls, including a fishy handball against Marc Cucurella that surprisingly went unpunished. Fans were left fuming with his decision-making skills as many slammed Anthony Taylor for his poor officiating.

However, this isn’t the first time Taylor has been hounded for his mistakes!

Anthony Taylor has an old connection with controversies

Let’s roll back the clock to the heated Premier League clash between Newcastle United and Wolverhampton Wanderers last year. Anthony Taylor signaled a penalty against Wolves after striker Hwang Hee-chan in the eyes of the referee caught Fabian Schar while attempting to clear the ball out of the box. This didn’t set down well with Wolves’ boss Gary O’Neil, who claimed the penalty call was “disgraceful.”

Taylor was forced to apologize for his incorrect call with the PGMOL, taking strict actions against the match official. Taylor was downgraded from officiating matches in the Premier League the following weekend, the referee demoted to regulating matches in the Championship.

Earlier in the Euros, Anthony Taylor was also involved in a lengthy VAR drama that saw Netherlands star Xavi Simons’ goal chalked off the scoresheet. While UEFA did praise Taylor for the call, he was also called out for taking too long to decide, as it interrupted the game flow.

The game between Germany and Spain also saw fans call out Anthony Taylor for being too lenient with Toni Kroos. The German midfielder put on a rash tackle which saw Pedri forced to exit the field with a knee injury. While many experts felt Kroos should have been booked for the incident, Taylor seemed firm with his decision.