Taylor refereed the 2015 EFL Cup final, with Chelsea beating Tottenham Hotspur 2–0.
In 2020, he became the first referee since 1901 to take charge of two FA Cup finals when Arsenal beat Chelsea 2-1.
Taylor previously took charge of the 2017 FA Cup final, also a 2-1 win for Arsenal against Chelsea.
He also refereed the Community Shield in 2015 and the 2018 Championship play-off final.
Taylor received praise for the way he handed the Euro 2020 game between Denmark and Finland, which had to be halted when Christian Eriksen collapsed and suffered a cardiac arrest.
He has also been appointed to several high-profile Uefa matches, including the 2020 Super Cup final, with Bayern Munich beating Sevilla 2-1, the 2021 Nations League final, in which France beat Spain 2-1, and the 2023 Europa League final which saw Sevilla beat Roma on penalties.
Taylor faced a great deal of abuse after the Europa League final, but was firmly backed by Uefa referees’ chief Roberto Rosetti.
Roma boss Jose Mourinho called Taylor a “disgrace” twice in a post-match news conference before confronting him in a car park – an incident the Portuguese was given a four-match ban for.
Taylor was then shouted at by angry fans as he walked though Budapest Airport with his family.
In October 2025, Taylor spoke to BBC Sport about the impact of that night and the events that followed.
“That’s the worst situation I’ve dealt with in terms of abuse,” Taylor said.
“Not only because I was travelling with family members at the time, but it also highlights the impact of people’s behaviour on others. Even in a match like that, where there was actually no major mistakes in the game.”
Taylor, who also took charge of games at the Fifa Club World Cup in 2022 and 2025, hinted in last October’s interview that his career could be coming to an end.
“I’m 47 next week, so that’s quite old for somebody to be operating at this level, running around after people a lot younger than you,” Taylor said.
“It’s much more of a challenge now to maintain the levels of fitness and to rest and recover.”
His retirement creates a gap at the top of refereeing in the English game.
Refereeing body Pro Ref, formerly known as PGMO, has merged its officials into one group for the 2026-27 season.
The creation of the professional referee group, which will service the Premier League and Championship, is intended to give greater opportunities to up-and-coming officials, such as Farai Hallam and Tom Kirk.
Source:
www.bbc.co.uk
