Credit: Imago

Scott Mason

Tue 7 April 2026 8:10, UK

Everton take on Brentford on Saturday with European places on the line, and referee Farai Hallam will officiate his first-ever Toffees match.

David Moyes’ side will be looking to right the wrongs after losing the reverse fixture 4-2.

The Toffees come into the game with plenty of momentum after defeating Chelsea 3-0 before the international break.

The Everton manager will hope the break in domestic football has not halted that push and they can continue where they left off.

Ahead of Everton’s clash against Brentford, the Premier League has made an official announcement in regard to the referee and his team that will oversee proceedings.

Premier League names officials for Brentford vs Everton

Ahead of the return of England’s top flight, the Premier League has issued their official appointments for matchweek 32.

Hallam will take charge of proceedings, having never refereed a game involving Everton before.

Since this is Hallam’s inaugural Everton match, there is no history to look back upon and judge how the Toffees fared.

It is also his first time refereeing in a Brentford match as well, leaving both sides in the dark over his officiating style.

There may be some worry about the VAR selection for Brentford, as Salisbury was involved in a controversial decision versus Arsenal, with the KMI panel deeming that the Toffees should have received a penalty.

What type of referee is Farai Hallam?

Hallam will referee just his third Premier League match of the season, and the official does typically blow his whistle quite often.

Throughout this season in all of his leagues officiated, he is averaging 21.68 fouls per game. Additionally, he blows up for a foul every 0.65 tackles.

In terms of bookings, he averages around 3.59 yellow cards per game but has also yet to dish out a sending-off throughout 22 matches. One penalty has been given in those fixtures.

Overall, Hallam appears to be a moderately strict referee who stops the game quite a lot through his calling of fouls.

The official likes to maintain control but is not overly quick to dish out punishment. Hallam is strict in terms of the rules, but lenient with his sanctions.

With the Blues away from home, a stop-start match is not what they will need. Hopefully this time around, there is little for Hallam to blow his whistle for.