Kevin Friend replaced by Neil Swarbrick for Monday's Stoke v Tottenham fixture

Kevin Friend will not take charge of Monday's crucial clash between Stoke versus Tottenham due to his affiliation with Leicester.

Instead, Neil Swarbrick will be the man in the middle at the Britannia Stadium, while Friend will referee Newcastle against Manchester City on Saturday.

Friend is a Bristol City fan but lives in Leicestershire and has attended Foxes matches with friends. 

The 44-year-old is not used to referee Leicester games and, with Spurs battling the midlands side for the title, his initial appointment for Monday's match had attracted criticism from fans on message boards.

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The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) did not receive a request from Spurs asking for the removal of Friend but have decided to act anyway, bearing in mind the significance of the match.

A statement read: "PGMOL has made the decision to change the referee for the match between Stoke City and Tottenham Hotspur as Kevin Friend, initially selected for the game, is from Leicester and has attended matches at Leicester City in a personal capacity.

"Given the timing and context of this match, it was felt unnecessary to add extra scrutiny on the refereeing appointment."

Leicester are seven points clear of Spurs in the race for the title and they are at home to West Ham on Sunday.