A Friend of Leicester is no friend of Spurs.
Kevin Friend has been replaced from officiating at Tottenham’s clash with Stoke on Monday to ensure impartiality for the title run-in.
Spurs lie seven points behind the league leaders with just five games remaining and every game and point is crucial in what is turning out to a historic Premier League campaign.
And Kevin Friend, who is based in Leicester, cannot play a part in that.
The Professional Game Match Officials Ltd don’t pick Friend to referee matches involving Leicester because of his allegiance to the club, and have been forced into a rethink about next week’s fixture involving Spurs because of the impact it could have on the title race.
PGMOL boss Mike Riley has replaced Friend with Neil Swarbick (from Preston).
“Kevin Friend, initially selected for the game, is from Leicester and has attended matches at Leicester City in a personal capacity,” a statement explained. “Given the context of this match, it was felt unnecessary to add extra scrutiny on the refereeing appointment.”
Some fans have complained that Friend is a Bristol City fan and not a supporter of Leicester.
However, in an interview with the Leicester Mercury three years ago, the referee admitted that he follows both.
“I have got two teams, Bristol City, because I was born in Bristol, and also Leicester because I live here,” he said.
Still, it’s Leicester against the world. That didn’t take long.
