Sam Barrott’s meteoric rise through the refereeing ranks continues, with him promoted to FIFA and UEFA’s international lists just five months after being promoted to Premier League officials’ Select Group 1.
Mr Barot, 31, was added to the EFL referee list in 2020 and took charge of his first Championship match in November 2022. Since then, he has become one of the key beneficiaries of PGMOL’s new Fast Track program to identify talented young referees. You can quickly move between levels, a process that previously took years.
Editor’s picks
1 related
The former Halifax Town youth player was forced to retire due to injury as a teenager, but will be promoted to the Select Group 2 list in the summer of 2023 and will primarily be a referee in the Championship. His first Premier League match took place in October 2023. He coached only 10 games in the second division.
Barot managed 15 Premier League games in the 2023-24 season and his level of performance was such that he was permanently promoted to Select Group 1 in the summer of 2024. He was appointed to a Big Six game for the first time this month. , refereed Arsenal vs. Manchester United and Sunday’s Tottenham Hotspur vs. Liverpool match.
His promotion to the FIFA and UEFA lists had been evidenced by his appointment to several European matches as fourth official in the first half of the season, but now, after a total of 26 Premier League games, he has been appointed as manager. The game itself was able to qualify.
Barot will be in the ‘second’ category of UEFA officials, replacing Craig Pawson, who has reduced his involvement in international football. Anthony Taylor and Michael Oliver represent England in the ‘elite’ category, but France, Germany, Italy and Spain each have three players at the top level. John Brooks and Chris Kavanagh are on the England squad’s ‘first’ list.
Since PGMOL introduced the Fast Track program, seven referees from outside Select Group 1 have become premiers: Barot, Sunny Singh Gill, Sam Allison, Bobby Madeley, Josh Smith, Rebecca Welch and Lewis Smith. He is in charge of league matches.
This aims to retain more promising young officials within the system, while also attracting new officials, including former players, by offering a clearly planned career progression.
