PGMOL, the body which oversees all refereeing in English football, contacted Everton to apologise for a mistake over the weekend.
Everton were 1 – 0 down to Manchester City when Rodrigo appeared to handle the ball in the box. Referee Paul Tierney’s vision was obstructed and so the VAR reviewed the incident.
VAR decided there was not sufficient evidence to give a penalty, much to the ire of Everton manager Frank Lampard after the game.
The PGMOL, particularly boss Mike Riley have traditionally been loathe to admit mistakes, much less apologise for them.
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Via the Times:
“The Everton manager Frank Lampard and chairman Bill Kenwright have received a personal apology from referees’ chief Mike Riley over the penalty incident in Saturday’s defeat by Manchester City. Riley, general manager of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited, contacted the duo after Everton submitted a formal complaint to the Premier League arising from the 1-0 loss at Goodison Park.”
This is unprecedented behaviour from the PGMOL, leading to speculation that it is turning over a new leaf. It isn’t the first time a manager has publicly criticised the officiating this season.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has been left incensed by continuous harsh decisions against his team. However, no apology has been forthcoming to him.
Perhaps the vociferousness of Lampard’s response is what prompted the apology. After the game, he said ‘a five year old can see that’s a penalty’.
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“That’s the reason we have VAR,” said Lampard.
“It wouldn’t have needed more than five seconds to know it was a penalty. He [Kavanagh] should have either told the referee to give it or told him to go look at it.
“We’ve lost a point because of a professional who cannot do his job right. You start searching for whys and I can’t think why. It is so incompetent to get it wrong.”
