Prem ref makes UEFA, FIFA lists after 26 games

Sam Barrott’s meteoric rise through the refereeing ranks has continued with promotion to the international lists of FIFA and UEFA just five months after being elevated to the Select Group 1 of Premier League officials.

Barrott, 31, was added to the list of EFL referees in 2020 and took charge of his first Championship game in November 2022. Since then, he has been one of the key beneficiaries of PGMOL’s new fast-track programme to identify the best young referees and move them quickly through the levels, a process which would previously have taken years.

The former Halifax Town youth player, who was forced to retire as a teenager through injury, was promoted to the Select Group 2 list, who primarily referee in the Championship, in the summer of 2023. His first Premier League game came in October 2023, after officiating only 10 games in the second tier.

Barrott took charge of 15 Premier League fixtures in 2023-24, and such was the level of his performances that he was permanently promoted to Select Group 1 in the summer of 2024. This month, he was appointed to Big Six fixtures for the first time, refereeing Arsenal vs. Manchester United and Sunday’s clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.

His elevation to the FIFA and UEFA lists had been signposted by his appointment to several European matches in the first half of the season as a fourth official, but now — after just 26 Premier League matches in total — he is eligible to take charge of games himself.

Barrott replaces Craig Pawson, who had been reducing his involvement in international football, in the “Second” category of UEFA officials. Anthony Taylor and Michael Oliver are England’s two representatives in the “Elite” category, though France, Germany, Italy and Spain each have three at the top level. John Brooks and Chris Kavanagh appear in the “First” list for England.

Since PGMOL introduced the fast-track programme, seven referees from outside the Select Group 1 have taken charge of Premier League games: Barrott, Sunny Singh Gill, Sam Allison, Bobby Madley, Josh Smith, Rebecca Welch and Lewis Smith.

It’s designed to keep more promising young officials in the system by offering clearly mapped out career progression, while also attracting new officials — including former players.