Southampton have learned of the officiating team for their return to Premier League action against Manchester United on Saturday.
Russell Martin will be hoping his Southampton players can put the time spent on the training pitch over the international break to good use to get the club’s first points of the season.
Manchester United at home represents an opportunity to do that, with Erik ten Hag’s side having lost their last two games and only beating Fulham so far in 2024/25.
What Martin will hope is that Southampton’s chances of getting a result are not hampered by any refereeing controversies, as the Premier League have now confirmed the officials for each of the forthcoming weekend’s fixtures.
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Stuart Attwell referee appointed for Southampton vs Man Utd
Stuart Attwell will be the man in the middle at St Mary’s for the early kick-off against United on Saturday as the Premier League action resumes after the international break.
He will be assisted by Constantine Hatzidakis and Nick Hopton, with Gavin Ward the fourth official.
With Southampton’s return to the Premier League came the return of VAR, which could be good or bad news depending on which side of the debate you sit.
On Saturday, it will be Chris Kavanagh who is in charge of VAR, with Lee Betts his assistant ahead of the pair taking the more prominent roles of referee and linesman in Wolves against Newcastle United on Sunday.
Chris Kavanagh will be hoping for easy game in Southampton against Man Utd after Arsenal controversy
Kavanagh in particular will be hoping for a weekend free of drama after he was the subject of scrutiny in the last round of fixtures.
It was Kavanagh who controversially sent off Declan Rice, handing the Arsenal midfielder a second yellow card for a slight touch that prevented Brighton taking a quick free-kick.
The Gunners drew the game 1-1 and Rice will now miss this weekend’s North London derby.
Fans and pundits have been left divided by the incident, with some feeling the letter of the law was rightly applied and others feeling some common sense was required to diffuse the situation.
One person whose feelings were very clear was Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, who fumed after the game: “I was amazed. Amazed, amazed, amazed because of how inconsistent decisions can be.
“In the first half, there are two incidents and nothing happens. Then, in a non-critical area, the ball hits Declan, he turns around, he doesn’t see the player coming and he touches the ball.
“By law, he can make that call, but then by law he needs to make the next call, which is a red card so we play 10 v 10. This is what amazed me. At this level it’s amazing.”
Southampton will hope that their display will grab the headlines this weekend rather than the officials as Martin looks to stop the rot.