Pawson appointed for Sunderland v Fulham as Kavanagh sits out amid scrutiny | OneFootball

Craig Pawson will referee Sunderland v Fulham on Sunday, February 22, as Chris Kavanagh sits out after admitting a penalty mistake to Régis Le Bris in the Liverpool game.

Pawson’s assistants are Lee Betts and Mat Wilkes, with Ruebyn Ricardo fourth official. VAR is Tony Harrington, assisted by Wade Smith. A Spor reports Sunderland monitored Galatasaray’s Roland Sallai in January.

The appointment arrives amid scrutiny of officiating. Kavanagh and assistant Nick Greenhalgh have not been selected for a Premier League game this weekend after criticism of their FA Cup fourth-round display at Aston Villa v Newcastle United, a tie without VAR.

Attention now turns to Fulham at the Stadium of Light, kick-off 2pm. Sunderland also await their FA Cup fifth-round opponents, with Port Vale facing Bristol City on March 3 and the winners due to visit on the weekend of March 7.

Sallai, 28, joined Galatasaray from SC Freiburg in September 2024 and is a regular. Primarily used at right-back, he has also played left-back and in advanced wide roles. He has 64 appearances, seven goals and seven assists, including one goal and six assists this season.

Sunderland were said to have made serious attempts in January, while Liverpool also sought cover after injuries to Conor Bradley and Jeremie Frimpong. Brentford are now said to be preparing a summer move, with the Turkish champions reportedly open to trimming their squad. Whether Sunderland return under sporting director Florent Ghisolfi remains to be seen.

Source: Sunderland Echo