Former Premier League referee shares two stadiums where staying neutral was toughest
Former Premier League referee Graham Scott shared which two stadiums were the toughest to handle pressure while officiating. He also talked about how VAR seems to show some home bias, as it often corrects more decisions in favor of the away team because errors happen more against them.
Scott named Everton’s old stadium, Goodison Park, as the most hostile Premier League ground and one of the hardest places to referee fairly, along with Old Trafford.
In an interview with The Athletic, Scott explained that any bias might be unconscious. “It’s something you might not even realize is there,” he said. The 58-year-old, who refereed in the Premier League for ten years from 2015 to 2025, assured that referees never purposely favor certain teams.
“I’m not sure where the truth lies,” Scott admitted. “VAR shows there might be a home bias since it tends to fix more mistakes against the away team. So there’s something to it. But there’s no organized effort to look after any club.”
When asked which stadiums were hardest to stay neutral in, Scott quickly said Goodison Park. “It used to be the toughest because of how close the fans were and how intense the crowd got. You had to be strong and confident to make the right calls there.”
He also called Goodison “brilliant” and one of his favorite stadiums to referee because of its great atmosphere.
Scott then talked about Old Trafford, saying it was another tricky place to officiate fairly. “At one point, Old Trafford felt very quiet, like fans were just waiting to be entertained or complaining about club owners, not the referee. That made things a bit easier for refs,” he said. But this shows how much the stadium’s atmosphere has changed over time.
Looking back, Scott’s point about Goodison’s tough environment is backed up by a famous match in 2017. He gave Everton a late penalty that helped them come back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 against Watford. Watford’s manager, Marco Silva, called it a harsh call but admitted it wasn’t an easy decision for Scott.
“It was a tough call,” Silva said. “Holebas didn’t even want the ball and was just following the player.” You can find the footage of the incident on YouTube.