As Sunderland prepare to face Watford in the Championship this weekend, the referee for the game will probably be happy there’s no VAR involved.
While other teams head into FA Cup fourth-round action this weekend, Sunderland are one of a handful of Championship sides out of the competition and focusing on league duty.
Last time out, Sunderland scored an impressive and important 3-2 win over local rivals Middlesbrough, but Regis Le Bris’ men will have to be at their best to secure all three points against Watford on Saturday.
We’ve already thought about a predicted Sunderland lineup for the upcoming fixture, but there’s every reason for all eyes to actually be on the referee for this game.
Who is the referee for Sunderland vs Watford?
As per the EFL, Robert Jones will be the referee for the clash between Sunderland and Watford on Saturday lunchtime.
Jones will be supported by Ian Hussin and Neil Davies as his assistants, with Lewis Smith on fourth official duty.
Robert Jones referee record
Ordinarily, you would find Robert Jones officiating Premier League games. So far this season, he’s taken charge of 16 matches, 14 of which were in the top flight, with just one in the Championship and one in the Carabao Cup.
He has shown three red cards this term, all in the Premier League, and has handed out 74 yellow cards — an average of 4.24 per game.
| Statistics | Robert Jones (2024/25) |
|---|---|
| Games | 16 |
| Yellow cards | 74 |
| Yellow cards per game | 4.24 |
| Red cards | 3 |
| Penalties awarded | 5 |
| Fouls per game | 26.44 |
Jones has also awarded five penalties this season, including one in the Championship meeting between Sheffield Wednesday and Millwall at the start of this year.
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Robert Jones made Premier League history by rejecting VAR
It’s rather interesting that Jones is taking charge of a Championship game this weekend. His previous game in the Premier League was Leicester City’s 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur — a fairly uneventful game from a refereeing perspective.
However, in the match prior to that — a 2-2 draw between Chelsea and Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge — Jones was at the centre of a rather unique and controversial refereeing decision.
As Marc Cucurella burst away on the counter-attack, he was brought down by Bournemouth’s David Brooks, who obstructed the Chelsea man and seemingly pulled his hair. Jones gave nothing at the time, but was told to revisit the incident on his monitor by VAR.
Based on the evidence presented, VAR recommended Jones show Brooks a red card, but also told the referee it was totally his call which way to go on the matter. Ultimately, Jones rejected the VAR recommendation and showed Brooks a yellow card.
As per the Daily Mail, that was the first time a VAR recommendation of a red card has been ignored by a referee in the Premier League, which makes Robert Jones part of refereeing history whether he likes it or not.
Still, it is curious that he has now been put on Championship duty after such a controversial incident. Hopefully, there will be no pulling of hair from anyone in the Sunderland squad this weekend.