Referees/Officials

[Tueartsoverhead kick]

This is what happens when the wife goes out and leaves me with a fridge full of beer. ;)

lol

 

[Feed the Elk]

It's an organised, systematic campaign against us that the club is well aware of, whatever some on here maintain.

And, being aware of it, they are taking steps to counteract it but that's not easy. The ones who do the organising aren't prepared to let go of the reins that easily. It may be some time before we see any overt signs that we're winning the fight. But we will win it.

Sorry but i call bullshit - every fan of every team thinks exactly the same. You're claiming that there is a campaign between the FA and the referees?? If there was even a hint of any proof, which if it was true would be the case, then it would be nigh on impossible to keep a lid on and would be all over the press. The journo who could break such a story would be up for a pulitzer.

 

[stony]

Sorry but i call bullshit - every fan of every team thinks exactly the same. You're claiming that there is a campaign between the FA and the referees?? If there was even a hint of any proof, which if it was true would be the case, then it would be nigh on impossible to keep a lid on and would be all over the press. The journo who could break such a story would be up for a pulitzer.

Yet it happened in 2012, there's even a journo who was hired to investigate certain referees, and he jokes that he should have had a winners medal along with the City team.

 

[Thaksinssoldier]

It's an organised, systematic campaign against us that the club is well aware of, whatever some on here maintain.

And, being aware of it, they are taking steps to counteract it but that's not easy. The ones who do the organising aren't prepared to let go of the reins that easily. It may be some time before we see any overt signs that we're winning the fight. But we will win it.

Well, scudamore would have you believe that they desperately need United in the mix in order to re-gain the lost 21% of their viewing public this season.

But it's not being fixed, is it?

I firmly, 100% believe this isn't about us this year. This is about ensuring the rags get in. So we're getting screwed, as are Arsenal. Spurs will get a run of it now after today too. Come April, if the damage isn't already done they'll pick one of us to feck over, but they have done enough by now and can sit back and see who falls.

 

[Stiff Little Wingers]

It's so blatant now but it's a double whammy with anti City and pro RAG appalling decisions. We were East Stand level with 18 yard line and it was clear as night follows day. Whether he fell over or not is immaterial and even if he had gone to ground he would have been accused of diving.
This was not a coming together of players at 100 miles an hour --it was one a fair bit in front of another

 

[chesterguy]

Sorry but i call bullshit - every fan of every team thinks exactly the same. You're claiming that there is a campaign between the FA and the referees?? If there was even a hint of any proof, which if it was true would be the case, then it would be nigh on impossible to keep a lid on and would be all over the press. The journo who could break such a story would be up for a pulitzer.

Mark Halsey’s explosive claim he was “told” to lie while he was a Premier League referee was met with a mixture of shock and defiance on Sunday amid calls for an inquiry by Gary Neville.

Halsey posted on Twitter that he had “seen an incident and been told to say I haven’t seen it” following the three-match ban handed out to Sergio Agüero that will see the striker miss Saturday’s Manchester derby.

The 55-year-old was referring to an incident he had already recounted in his 2013 autobiography, in which he claimed to have felt “under pressure” from his boss, Mike Riley, to change his mind over his decision not to send off Steven Nzonzi for “two supposed elbows” during a game between Stoke City and Blackburn Rovers in 2011.

Halsey says he was pressurised into saying he hadn't seen the incident
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Halsey’s tweet went further by alleging he had even been instructed to lie about not seeing the incident so Nzonzi could be banned retrospectively, a claim that prompted former Manchester United captain Neville to post, “Is that not corrupt?”, and call for an investigation.

There were no plans yesterday for one from either Professional Game Match Officials Ltd, the body in charge of elite referees headed by Riley, or the Football Association.

PGMOL stuck by a statement it released on Saturday which read: “Match officials submit their reports, including critical incidents, directly to the FA. Match officials ensure that their reports are a full and accurate description of the incident. There is no pressure from the PGMOL to include or omit anything.”

Privately, the FA contest Halsey’s version of events. The governing body issued a short statement on the affair, reading: “The FA compliance team deal with all disciplinary matters with the utmost integrity.”

Recounting the 2011 episode, Halsey said in an interview with the Sun on Sunday: “I was furious, I didn’t want Steven Nzonzi charged. I was not happy.

Nzonzi, here playing for Blackburn against Man City, was banned for three matches
“I’m honest but what can you do when the management tell you to do something? You can’t speak out but you should not be put in that situation anyway.

“It’s obvious why they do it, as some get charged and others don’t. I know it goes on because other referees have told me. Nothing can happen because nobody can say anything publically as a referee.”

Halsey also wrote in his autobiography, Added Time: “I was in the same boat as Lee Mason that time when Wayne Rooney swore into a TV camera in a game at West Ham.

“No referee would have sent him off for that but Lee came under pressure to report that he hadn’t seen it but would have given a red card if he had seen it.


“That way, as in my case, the FA could take retrospective action.”

No-one contacted by the Daily Telegraph was prepared to corroborate his claims, including the referees’ union, Prospect, the head of which said no referee had ever raised such concerns with the body.

That was after Neville posted in a series of tweets: “An official in high ranking place has told a referee to lie so that a player gets banned!!

“I always thought refs might play the ‘didn’t see it card’ to protect themselves but never instruction from above!!”

Neville criticised the PGMOL denial, writing: “I’m sorry!! How can you deny it without investigation!!!

“PGMOL this statement better ‘we accept this is a serious accusation and will leave no stone unturned in finding the truths’.

Neville has been critical of the response from the PGMOL Credit: PA
“The issue with these bodies now!! Deny / Deny / Deny!! Rather than- " we better get to the bottom of this.

“So the PGMOL think Mark Halsey is a liar? @RefereeHalsey did it happen?? Does it happen now?”

The rules on so-called ‘unseen’ incidents changed shortly after Halsey retired, with the FA able since then to take retrospective action for a violent conduct incident even if the match officials saw it, provided they acknowledge their view was not a clear one.

Andre Marriner’s decision not to send off Manchester City striker Agüero for an elbow on West Ham United’s Winston Reid last weekend would have been assessed on that basis.

The incident that led to Aguero being handed a three-match ban
Agüero was subsequently charged with violent conduct, something he and City contested on the grounds that Marriner was close enough to the incident to adjudge whether action against was warranted at the time. There is no suggestion that Marriner saw the incident.

Halsey’s autobiography is highly critical of PGMOL and he makes no secret of the “bad blood” between him and Riley.

He said at the time the book cost him a £50,000 pay-off when he retired from refereeing because of a confidentiality clause inserted into his severance agreement.

This is the same Andre Marriner that claimed he did not see the Aguero incident and didint see the Sterling push today he shouldnt be refereeing at this level with all the incidents he is "missing"

 

[BlueAnorak]

Football is very definately fixed.

 

[MillionMilesAway]

Didn't Dinho get a straight red for pushing Fabregas? Why did Ali only get a yellow for pushing Otamendi?

Otamendi was pushed in the chest, just like Firmino last week.
Ferny pushed Fabregas in the neck.

Players will be sent off for a chest push, but it's not consistently done.

 

[MillionMilesAway]

Going for the hat trick next week. He'll be the only defender to ever rack up enough points for a ban by being pushed over.

Come off it, he got booked against Everton for the foul on Lukaku.
Lukaku got booked for the push.

 

[chaddblue]

Peps realised what the fans have known for years

Time to grow some bollocks and bite back