Why referee Jarred Gillett was wearing a camera during Man Utd vs Crystal Palace

History has been made in the Premier League as referee Jarred Gillett became the first official in English top-flight history to wear a camera during Manchester United's match against Crystal Palace on Monday night. The camera, dubbed the 'ref-cam', was attached to the official and will capture footage throughout the 90 minutes.

It's the first time any referee in the Premier League has worn such a device, and it will give fans a closer insight into what the referees deal with during a match in the top flight, including their interactions with some of the division's biggest players. Why was Gillett given a ref-cam, though? Well, according to Sky Sports, the move was made for television purposes.

It will serve as part of a one-off special on referees

The decision to provide Gillett with a camera comes as a result of a one-off TV programme that will look to promote match officials within football. The news was broken by Sky Sports News on air, and they explained the details of why Gillett was wearing a camera and when it would be seen.

Fans hoping to listen in to the referee's interactions with stars on the pitch will have to wait a while, however. The footage reportedly won't be made available to the public for several months when it will air on television as a part of the programme. The decision comes off the back of several high-profile incidents in which officials have been met with criticism from the public for some questionable errors within some of the biggest games in the Premier League.

They have been under a lot of fire recently

After some critical mistakes during Nottingham Forest's recent match against Everton and Arsenal's win over Bournemouth, officials in the Premier League have been under plenty of fire lately. Their ability to officiate at the highest level has been brought under question by fans and media alike.

Whether the programme, set to promote the match officials will change any sort of opinion and outlook on them remains to be seen, but seeing first-hand what they have to deal with, in terms of the crowds, the work they put in and the interactions with players gives them as good a chance as any of winning people over.