Kevin Friend has been dropped from the list of referees who will officiate in the Premier League this weekend, according to the Daily Mail.

Friend was criticised for his controversial decision to send off Sunderland defender Wes Brown during the Black Cats' 2-0 away defeat to Stoke City on Saturday.

Sunderland have already revealed that they will appeal against the 42-year-old's decision as they believe that Brown's tackle on Charlie Adam was clean.

This is the second time this season that Friend has been dropped as he recently spent over a month on fourth official duty after controversial decisions during Southampton's game against West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa's match against Chelsea.