Referee Steve Bennett faces a grilling from his bosses over his late-night revelations that players get themselves booked so they will be suspended at Christmas.
Bennett, 48, was taped in a sting calling stars "cheating b******s" at a conference of UEFA referees in Spain last week.
Chiefs at the Premier Game Match Officials, who appoint referees and linesmen to top games, will demand an explanation from Bennett and tell him to put names, dates and fixtures to his allegations.
Although he is not expected to be sacked for becoming a whistle-blower in a different sense, he may have blown his chances of succeeding Keith Hackett as PGMO chief.
He is due to stand down at the end of this season after reaching the mandatory retirement age for Premier League refs after a career which included the 2007 FA Cup Final at Wembley.
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In a conversation recorded by undercover reporters, Bennett alleged one unnamed player engineered every Christmas off.
He said: "He comes in and you think, 'What the ****ing hell are you making a tackle like that for?' It's Christmas, that's three games. When you think about it now... you watch. Every year."
Last night a Premier League spokesman said: "Steve's comments do not reflect the opinion of the PGMO and, as such, we will be asking him for an explanation."
It is common in Champions League games for players to get themselves booked ahead of a dead rubber so their disciplinary slate is wiped clean for the later stages.
David Beckham deliberately picked up a caution against Wales in 2004, knowing he was going to miss the following game in Azerbaijan through injury.
But unless Bennett can add substance to his claims - which would have damaging possible legal implications - his tittle-tattle in a hotel lobby is likely to be treated as just careless talk.
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