Opinion

Leicester City fans may not be pleased with what the Premier League have done for Chelsea meeting

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Leicester City are back in Premier League action against Chelsea on Sunday afternoon.

Leicester City will go into the meeting at Stamford Bridge looking to put an end to their torrid run of form in the Premier League.

Ruud van Nistelrooy has overseen 11 defeats in his last 12 league fixtures, a run that has already all but confirmed the club’s swift return to the Championship for the 2025/26 season.

Position Team Played MP Won W Drawn D Lost L For GF Against GA Diff GD Points Pts
17 WolvesWolves27 6 4 17 37 56 -19 22
18 IpswichIpswich27 3 8 16 26 57 -31 17
19 LeicesterLeicester27 4 5 18 25 61 -36 17
20 SouthamptonSouthampton27 2 3 22 19 65 -46 9

The Midlands outfit have dropped five points from safety and now have a very tough fixture on the horizon.

Chelsea’s form has not been great of late but they are still fifth in the Premier League and battling for a spot in next season’s Champions League under former Leicester manager, Enzo Maresca.

Now, ahead of the game, some news has emerged that is likely to concern fans of the Foxes.

West Ham United v Leicester City - Premier League
Photo by Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images

Leicester City fans won’t be happy with VAR appointment for Chelsea clash

Leicester are already up against it when they travel to West London later this week.

They have one of the worst defensive records in the division and are still yet to keep a clean sheet in the league under Van Nistelrooy.

Now, the Premier League have confirmed via their official website who will be the VAR official for the meeting on March 9th.

And the man taking up the role is Darren England, who Leicester fans will know well following an incident last season.

England was supposed to referee the Foxes’ meeting with Preston North End in October 2023 but was removed from the role following his involvement in a controversial incident that took place during Liverpool’s meeting with Tottenham Hotspur last season.

He was the VAR official for the game and did not intervene after Luis Diaz’s goal was ruled out for offside.

When England did not spot the mistake, PGMOL labelled it ‘a significant human error’, while Jamie Carragher gave a damning verdict when speaking live on Monday Night Football the following week, as per Leicestershire Live.

He said: “I don’t think the feeling around VAR has ever been lower. I do feel as if this is almost like a crisis point for VAR in this country.”

Given Leicester’s precarious position in the table right now, fans will not be thrilled at the prospect of having an error-prone official in charge of a game they really, even if it’s unlikely, need to be winning.

AFC Bournemouth v Liverpool FC - Premier League
Photo by Mark Leech/Offside/Offside via Getty Images

Who is the referee for Chelsea vs Leicester City

While England is on VAR for the game, Tim Robinson has been named referee for Chelsea vs Leicester this weekend.

His assistants will be Stuart Burt and Steve Meredith, while Sam Barrott is the fourth official and Nick Hopton is the VAR assistant.

Robinson has taken charge of eight Leicester games in total, with the Foxes winning four, drawing one, and losing three.

The official has shown 17 yellow cards in said matches and awarded one penalty kick.