Referee Michael Oliver will not be involved this weekend in Premier League matches-a week of initially missing the straight red card for Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts, so Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta needed 25 stitches.
PGMOL insiders say that they regularly rotate referees and that includes officials skip racing rounds from time to time, although his absence in the latest appointment list inevitably led to speculation on Tuesday after the controversial FA Cup collision in Selhurst Park who won Palace 3-1.
Oliver was confronted with criticism after that competition for how he originally handled Roberts' head-high challenge on Mateta.
That included Palace chairman Steve Parish, who wondered why the 40-year-old had to rely on his Pitch-Side Monitor to see that it was a red card.
As one of the most elite referees in England, Oliver was expected to be a strong candidate to supervise the confrontation of Sunday between Manchester United and Arsenal.
In addition to being a referee a match, he will not act as a fourth officer or work as a VAR from Stockley Park in the following games of the Premier League.
Oliver will be referee Bayern Munich versus Bayer Leverkusen tonight (Wednesday) on behalf of UEFA in the Knockout rounds of the Champions League in the UEFA.
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