As Newcastle United prepare to face Everton this weekend, we take a look at who the referee for the game will be and what his history with the Magpies is.
Eddie Howe and Newcastle will be looking to bounce back from the defeat to Marseille, but a trip to Hill Dickinson Stadium will not be easy.
Everton have lost just once at their new stadium and will be looking to exploit any kind of European hangover Newcastle may be carrying.
Eddie Howe has a big decision to make with Anthony Gordon and Nick Woltemade for penalties…
Obviously, Everton will be without Idrissa Gueye after his moment of madness against Manchester United, but Newcastle will still need all the help they can get.
Will they get anything of the sort from the referee for the upcoming Premier League game?
- READ MORE: Eddie Howe ready to risk it all as Nick Pope’s likely fate vs Everton emerges at Newcastle
Who is the referee for Everton vs Newcastle United?
The referee for the game will be Craig Pawson.
He will be joined by assistants Lee Betts and Mat Wilkes, while Dean Whitestone is on fourth official duty. Darren England and Craig Taylor are on VAR duty.
Craig Pawson referee record
Craig Pawson has only refereed nine games this season (seven in the Premier League, two in the Carabao Cup), but he’s been a busy man. He’s already shown two red cards, sending off Liverpool youngster Amara Nallo and Aston Villa’s Ezri Konsa.
He has also awarded two penalties, but interestingly, his rate of showing yellow cards (2.56 per game) is lower than most referees.
| Statistics | Craig Pawson in 2025/26 |
| Games | 9 |
| Yellows | 23 |
| Reds | 2 |
| Penalties | 2 |
| Fouls per game | 24.11 |
| Fouls per tackle | 0.74 |
Over the course of his whole career, Pawson has officiated 348 games across every top competition in England and even at international level. In total, he has shown 1,281 yellow cards and 51 red cards. His next yellow card in the Premier League will be number 1,000.
Interestingly, he has taken charge of more games for Newcastle than any other club, with 38 games involving the Magpies. Indeed, his first ever game in the top flight was Newcastle away at Swansea, a game the Magpies lost 1-0.
UEFA punished Craig Pawson last year
Like any referee, Craig Pawson is not without his controversies. In fact, last year, he was demoted by UEFA to what is known as the Second List; essentially the third tier of referees.
Pawson was marked down after he wrongfully ruled out a late Chelsea goal against Aston Villa in April 2024, causing Noni Madueke to react angrily.
Newcastle United match-goers, what are you most excited about for your first ever trip to the Hill Dickinson Stadium?
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He has previously claimed he is a “big fan” of VAR, so it will be interesting to see whether Pawson turns to technology this weekend. To be fair, Mark Clattenburg said VAR helped Newcastle against Man City, so they might not mind another favour from the technological side of things against Everton.
As recently as this month, Pawson was lambasted by Sunderland after he declined to show a yellow card to Arsenal’s Riccardo Calafiori.
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