Peter Bankes will take charge of one of the most fiercely contested and hotly anticipated encounters of the campaign this Sunday afternoon when Tottenham host Arsenal in the north London derby. The Lancashire-born official boasts extensive experience and represents an ideal selection for such a crucial fixture, though the 43-year-old has never refereed matches featuring two specific Premier League sides.
Bankes, who has held FIFA-listed status since 2021, will be supported by Eddie Smart and Blake Antrobus at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Sam Barrott has been confirmed as fourth official, with Darren England and assistant Tim Wood overseeing VAR duties.
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Originally from Merseyside, Bankes' County FA is the Liverpool Football Association. It is precisely for this reason that he has never presided over a fixture involving either Liverpool or Everton.
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Premier League officials must disclose which football club they support and are prohibited from refereeing matches involving that team or fixtures that directly affect them. They are also typically excluded from overseeing clubs in their immediate vicinity, even if they do not support them, as well as teams affiliated with their County FA.
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Bankes has overseen 18 league fixtures this season and issued 72 yellow cards, averaging four per match. He has also shown three red cards, including one for two bookable offences, whilst awarding five penalties.
Some Arsenal supporters may be heartened by his selection for the derby, considering Mikel Arteta's side have secured nine victories, drawn one and suffered three defeats from their 13 matches with Bankes as referee. Two of those setbacks came against Southampton, one in the FA Cup and one in the league.
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His latest fixture involving Arsenal was their 1-0 triumph over Chelsea in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final. Prior to that, he officiated their 2-1 loss to Aston Villa in December and their 5-1 thrashing of Manchester City back in February 2025.
He has also only issued 12 yellow cards to Arsenal players and has yet to dismiss a Gunners player. Meanwhile, Spurs supporters may be less pleased to see Bankes on Sunday.
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The official has managed to infuriate several Tottenham managers over the years, including Jose Mourinho in September 2020. Mourinho was left fuming with Bankes during a 1-1 draw with Newcastle over a handball decision against Eric Dier.
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In August 2022, Bankes was on the receiving end of some strong criticism, this time from Antonio Conte, following a match against West Ham. The Italian was displeased with how Bankes handled a penalty incident when he overturned an on-field decision against Aaron Cresswell, denying Spurs a penalty.
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More recently, Ange Postecoglou was left incandescent that two spot-kicks weren't given to James Maddison during a 2-1 victory over Sheffield United.