Referee chosen for Sunderland's FA Cup 5th round clash with Port Vale

The FA have confirmed that Anthony Taylor will take charge of Sunderland’s FA Cup fifth round tie against Port Vale on Sunday.

Taylor will be assisted by Gary Beswick and Adam Nunn, with Ben Toner as the fourth official. Michael Salisbury will be on VAR duties and he will be supported by Peter Wright as the assistant VAR. Sunday’s FA Cup tie will be Taylor’s second Sunderland appointment this season after the experienced official oversaw the Black Cats’ 2-1 win against Brentford in August.

Taylor awarded Sunderland a penalty that day for a Rico Henry foul on Habib Diarra, which Enzo Le Fée converted, before Wilson Isidor scored a dramatic 96th-minute winner to give Sunderland their second league win of the season.

The 47-year-old has refereed finals in numerous major competitions including a Europa League final, a FIFA Club World Cup final and two FA Cup finals. Taylor’s last match saw him take charge of Lille’s 2-0 win at Red Star Belgrade in the Europa League last week.

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Anthony Taylor’s family no longer attend his matches

Taylor was publicly targeted by Roma fans while walking through Budapest airport with his family after the 2023 Europa League final.

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José Mourinho called Taylor a “disgrace” during his post-match interview, a comment which resulted in the Portuguese manager receiving a four-game ban. Roma and Sevilla played out a 1-1 draw but the Spanish side won on penalties as Taylor handed out 13 yellow cards throughout the match.

Speaking to the BBC Taylor said: “That’s the worst situation I’ve dealt with in terms of abuse. “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.”

“It makes you reflect back on whether you made a mistake travelling with your family in the first place. They haven’t been to one [match] since,” he added.

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