West Ham United v Leicester City
Premier League, London Stadium, Thursday 27 February 2025, 8pm GMT
Referee: Stuart Attwell
Assistant Referees: Constantine Hatzidakis and Natalie Aspinall
Fourth Official: Rob Jones
VAR: Michael Salisbury
Assistant VAR: Simon Long
Stuart Attwell has been confirmed as the referee for West Ham United’s Premier League clash at home to Leicester City on Thursday night.
The 42-year-old became the-then youngest referee in Premier League history when, at 25, he took charge of Blackburn Rovers’ match against Hull City in August 2008.
He returned to the National List of Referees in 2012, but was promoted back to the Select Group for 2016/17 and earlier this season took charge of his 200th fixture in the English top flight.
Originally from Nuneaton, Warwickshire, Attwell held the whistle during Liverpool’s penalty-shootout win over Chelsea in the 2022 EFL Cup final, and also oversaw Arsenal’s dramatic Community Shield victory over Manchester City in August 2023.
He was the man in the middle of our 0-0 home Premier League draw with Everton in November, and the narrow 2-1 defeat away at Chelsea earlier this month. In total, he has refereed 24 West Ham matches during his esteemed career, the first being a 1-0 Premier League victory away at Wigan Athletic in March 2009.
Those Everton and Chelsea clashes are two of 13 Premier League matches in which Attwell has held the whistle this season, while he has refereed in UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying, in the FA and EFL Cups, and in the EFL Championship during 2024/25, as well as on the international scene in the UEFA Nations League.
Constantine Hatzidakis and Natalie Aspinall have been named as the two assistant referees.
The duo regularly officiate matches alongside Attwell, and indeed ran the line during the aforementioned away game at Chelsea on 3 February. Hatzidakis also worked as an assistant referee in the Everton stalemate little under three months earlier.
A veteran of over 30 Hammers games, and over 350 matches in total across domestic, European and international competitions, Hatzidakis has assisted at 19 Premier League games this term.
Aspinall, meanwhile, has made six of her 18 top-flight appearances as an assistant referee in the Premier League this season, and was also the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) in the Irons’ 3-2 victory over Fulham last month.
Rob Jones will serve as the fourth official.
A referee in the English Football League since 2016, the 37-year-old Merseysider took charge of his first top-flight clash in December 2019, and was promoted to Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) Select Group One ahead of the 2020/21 campaign.
He has previously worked as the fourth official during 16 West Ham games, and as a referee on eight occasions, most recently holding the whistle during December’s 1-1 draw at home to Brighton & Hove Albion.
Michael Salisbury, who refereed our Premier League fixture at Manchester City in January. is set to oversee Video Assistant Referee duties, and he will be assisted by Simon Long.
