🔗 Share this article

The Everton boss has stated that the Professional Game Match Officials is reluctant to engage with managers because a high number of refereeing decisions this season have been difficult to explain. The Everton manager said he “half choked” when Fulham were awarded what proved to be a decisive penalty against Nottingham Forest on Monday.

Inconsistency in Spot-Kick Decisions Highlighted

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, believes the lack of consistency of referees can not be ignored.

“It took my breath away last night when I saw the decision given and ours wasn’t,” Moyes commented. “There is a sense that certain clubs get those decisions and other clubs don’t. It appears we are on the latter side of that.”

Past Incidents and Mounting Discontent

The coach also pointed to 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 present his case with the officiating body, Moyes expressed further frustration. “It’s unclear,” he said. “They don’t make it easy whatever you want. They don’t want to have a conversation about it really. They might engage, but they don’t want to because they’re likely discovering it is very difficult to explain things.”

This stance from the PGMO highlights a broader problem of transparency and accountability in the sport’s refereeing, as per the experienced manager.