Adam Pope confirms late Leeds United v Sunderland late refereeing change — Leeds All Over 17/2/25
Kris Smith
Leeds United v Sunderland was due to be officiated by Craig
Pawson tonight, but the Sheffield United fan is now being replaced by Stuart
Attwell in the middle.
Tonight’s meeting between Leeds and Sunderland has very high
stakes at the top of the Championship, with both sides knowing how much a win
could boost their promotion hopes.
For Leeds, they will want to produce better than their 0-0
draw with the Black Cats last season that helped derail their top two hunt,
contributed to by a woeful refereeing decision late on.
Per Leeds’ website, this fixture was pencilled in to be
officiated by Craig Pawson, a Premier League official stepping in to take
charge in the second tier.
However, the Sheffield United fan has been moved off of
duty, with Adam Pope confirming that he is replaced by Stuart Attwell tonight
instead:
While there is no confirmation of the reason, Attwell and
Pawson swapping roles may be due to the Champions League playoff second legs
taking place across this week.
Hopefully an unnoticed refereeing performance in Leeds v
Sunderland
Pawson being a Blades fan likely wouldn’t have interfered
with the game itself, but it’s a relief that he’s not in charge just in the
interest of dispelling any conflicts of interest.
Having a Premier League referee is ideal in this game,
knowing the standard of EFL refereeing has been very poor yet again this
season.
