Arsenal v West Ham United
Premier League, Emirates Stadium, Saturday 22 February 2025, 3pm GMT
Referee: Craig Pawson
Assistant Referees: Simon Bennett and Dan Robathan
Fourth Official: Andrew Kitchen
VAR: Peter Bankes
Assistant VAR: Nick Hopton
Craig Pawson has been confirmed as the referee for West Ham United’s Premier League trip to London rivals Arsenal on Saturday.
One of the country’s most experienced officials, the 45-year-old has been a part of the Select Group of Referees since 2013 and has held the whistle 14 times in the Premier League so far this campaign, as well as in the UEFA Europa League, Champions League and Europa Conference League qualifying, the UEFA Nations League, the EFL Cup and EFL Championship.
Pawson has previously taken charge of the 2017/18 EFL Cup and 2021/22 FA Cup finals, as well as two Community Shield clashes, in 2016 and 2022.
He has refereed 25 fixtures involving the Hammers during his esteemed career, most recently the 3-2 triumph over Fulham last month, in what was Graham Potter’s first match in charge at London Stadium. Pawson has also served as the fourth official in three West Ham games this term, including at Nottingham Forest at the start of November.
Simon Bennett and Dan Robathan have been named as the assistant referees for the enticing encounter at Emirates Stadium.
Bennett, a 39-year-old from Staffordshire, is an experienced assistant who worked at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. He is also a regular for UEFA, assisting in the Champions League and other European fixtures, and has worked across 19 Premier League matches so far this campaign.
Fellow assistant Robathan, meanwhile, is also a well-versed official who has worked in the Premier League since 2018. He has featured as an assistant referee at a West Ham United Premier League match on two previous occasions this season, including alongside Bennett in the 2-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers in December.
Andrew Kitchen will undertake fourth official duties on Saturday.
The Durham native has extensive experience as a referee in the EFL, and has worked as a fourth official eight times in the Premier League, including in West Ham’s home clashes against Aston Villa and Ipswich Town this term.
Experienced official Peter Bankes is set to oversee Video Assistant Referee duties, and he will be assisted by Nick Hopton.
