Mike Riley: Irish FA set to appoint former Premier League official as new head of refereeing
- Published
Riley oversaw the development of match officials in the Premier League, FA, EFL and National League competitions and more recently the Women’s Super League
The Irish Football Association is close to appointing former English referees' chief Mike Riley as its new head of refereeing, BBC Sport NI understands.
Riley stepped down as head of Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the body responsible for match officials in England, at the end of last season.
He spent 14 years in his PGMOL role.
A former Premier League referee, Riley, 58, took charge of games at Euro 2004 as well as the 2002 FA Cup final.
The IFA's previous head of refereeing, Trevor Moutray, stepped down at the end of last season.
Riley, who also refereed the 2004 League Cup final, led on the implementation of the video assistant referee (VAR) in the Premier League and faced criticism over how VAR has been used in the English top flight.
He became a national Football League referee in 1994 and was granted Fifa status in 1999, allowing him to officiate international fixtures.
