David Moyes Claims Refereeing Officials Reluctant to Explain Controversial Calls
David Moyes has claimed that the PGMO is hesitant to communicate with managers because a high number of refereeing decisions this season have been hard to justify. Moyes said he was left speechless when Fulham were awarded what proved to be a match-winning penalty against Nottingham Forest on Monday.
Inconsistency in Penalty Calls Brought to Light
Everton were denied a penalty on Saturday for a similar offence during their home defeat by Arsenal. The manager initially held his tongue on the decision at the time but, in light of Fulham’s penalty, feels the inconsistency of referees can not be ignored.
“I was half choking last night when I saw the decision given and ours wasn’t,” said the Everton manager. “There is a sense that certain clubs get those decisions and other clubs don’t. We seem to be on the latter side of that.”
Past Incidents and Growing Frustration
The coach also pointed to an earlier incident in the season at Brentford involving Virgil van Dijk which was quite similar. “It was later it was given. It is frustrating it wasn’t given on the night and we are reviewing other instances which have been overlooked,” he added.
Lack of Dialogue with Referee Chiefs
Questioned on whether he intended to raise the issue with referee chiefs, Moyes expressed further frustration. “I don’t really know,” he said. “They are not accommodating whatever you want. They are unwilling to have a conversation about it really. They will have, but they don’t want to because they’re likely discovering it is very difficult to explain things.”
This position from the PGMO highlights a broader problem of openness and answerability in the game’s officiating, according to the experienced manager.
