David Moyes Asserts PGMO Reluctant to Clarify Debatable Decisions
The Everton boss has stated that the Professional Game Match Officials is hesitant to communicate with managers because a high number of refereeing decisions this season have been difficult to explain. Moyes said he was left speechless when Fulham were awarded what proved to be a decisive penalty against Nottingham Forest on Monday.
Inconsistency in Penalty Calls Highlighted
Everton were denied a penalty on Saturday for a comparable incident during their home defeat by Arsenal. Moyes did not criticise the decision at the time but, in light of Fulham’s penalty, believes the lack of consistency 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. “It feels as though certain clubs get those decisions and other clubs don’t. It appears we are on the latter side of that.”
Previous Cases and Mounting Discontent
Moyes also referenced an previous case in the season at Brentford involving Virgil van Dijk which was quite similar. “I think eventually it was given. It is frustrating it wasn’t given on the night and we are looking at others which have been overlooked,” he added.
Communication Breakdown with Referee Chiefs
When asked whether he intended to raise the issue with the officiating body, Moyes expressed additional concern. “I don’t really know,” he said. “They don’t make it easy 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 stance from the officials highlights a wider issue of openness and accountability in the game’s officiating, as per the experienced manager.
