Darren Bond among three Premier League referees to retire as PGMOL confirms end of careers

Darren Bond, Natalie Aspinall, and Marc Perry have retired from Premier League officiating, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) confirmed on Thursday. Bond, 48, last took charge of a top-flight match during Arsenal’s 2-1 win at Southampton on the final day of the 2024/25 season.

The PGMOL announced the departures via its official X account, stating: “We thank each of them for their years of dedication, professionalism and commitment to the game.”

Bond made his Premier League debut on 3 January 2023, overseeing Fulham’s 1-0 win away to Leicester City. A lifelong Wigan Athletic supporter, he was barred from officiating any of their matches throughout his career.

The retirements extend beyond the top flight. Referee Jeremy Simpson and assistant referee Mark Russell have stepped down from Championship duty, while referee Cristiana Hattersley has retired from the Women’s Super League.

The announcements come at a time when attention on English officiating is focused on the World Cup in the United States. Premier League referees Michael Oliver and Anthony Taylor are among those selected by FIFA to officiate at the tournament.

Oliver had been forced to withdraw from his first scheduled World Cup assignment — a group-stage match between Ecuador and Ivory Coast — due to injury, with French referee François Letexier stepping in as a replacement. FIFA subsequently confirmed Oliver would be available for selection again within days, and he has been appointed to oversee the Group F fixture between the Netherlands and Sweden on Saturday. He will be assisted by fellow Premier League officials Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring, with South African officials Abongile Tom and Zakhele Siwela serving as fourth official and reserve assistant referee respectively.

The match is scheduled to take place at Houston Stadium in Houston, USA. Oliver, an international referee since 2012 and a member of UEFA’s elite group since 2018, previously officiated at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where he took charge of the quarter-final between Croatia and Brazil.