Aston Villa v West Ham United
Premier League, Villa Park, Sunday 26 January 2025, 4.30pm GMT
Referee: Peter Bankes
Assistant Referees: Eddie Smart and Nick Greenhalgh
Fourth Official: Ruebyn Ricardo
VAR: Paul Tierney
Assistant VAR: Tim Wood
Peter Bankes has been confirmed as the referee for West Ham United’s Premier League trip to Aston Villa on Sunday.
The 42-year-old has been part of Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) Select Group One since the 2019/20 campaign, three seasons after being promoted to Select Group Two.
His first appointment in the top-flight came in August 2019, for Leicester City’s 3-1 home win over AFC Bournemouth, though he took charge of a West Ham game little under four years earlier in the third round of the EFL Cup, also at Leicester, with the Foxes winning that one 2-1 after extra-time.
In total, Bankes has held the whistle at 12 fixtures involving the Hammers, including Premier League draws away at AFC Bournemouth and at home to Newcastle United last season.
This term, he was the man in the middle of our Carabao Cup second-round win over Bournemouth at the end of August, while he also took charge of the Premier League defeat at Nottingham Forest in November.
Away from the domestic scene, Bankes has refereed at senior international level on two occasions, and in UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying four times.
Also present at the City Ground towards the end of 2024 was assistant Eddie Smart, who will once again work with Bankes at Villa Park this coming weekend, along with fellow flagman Nick Greenhalgh.
The pair run the line in the Premier League regularly, with Smart and Greenhalgh having officiated at 20 and 27 fixtures respectively in all competitions this term.
Ruebyn Ricardo has been named as the fourth official for Sunday.
Ricardo, who - aged 25 - became the youngest-ever black referee to take charge of an EFL League Two fixture, between Crewe Alexandra and Swindon Town in April 2023, will work in the Premier League for the first time in his career on Sunday, having made his EFL Championship debut on New Year's Day 2025 when he held the whistle at Millwall v Oxford United.
Paul Tierney will oversee VAR this weekend.
The 44-year-old official from Wigan has been a Premier League referee since 2014 and has notably taken charge of the 2019 Championship play-off final between Aston Villa and Derby County, the 2021 EFL Cup final between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, and the 2023 FA Cup final, which saw Manchester City defeat Manchester United 2-1.
Tierney has worked as the Video Assistant Referee at 33 Premier League games so far this term, including West Ham's fixtures away at Crystal Palace and Fulham and at home to Brighton & Hove Albion earlier this season, and he will be assisted by Tim Wood.
