The Everton manager Asserts Refereeing Officials Reluctant to Explain Controversial Decisions

David Moyes has claimed that the Professional Game Match Officials is hesitant to communicate with managers because so many refereeing decisions this season have been difficult to explain. Moyes said he was left speechless when Fulham were awarded what proved to be a match-winning penalty against Nottingham Forest on Monday.

Lack of Uniformity 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, following Fulham’s penalty, believes the lack of consistency of referees must be addressed.

“It took my breath away 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.”

Past Incidents and Mounting Discontent

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 Officiating Authorities

When asked whether he intended to raise the issue with the officiating body, Moyes expressed further frustration. “It’s unclear,” he said. “They don’t make it easy whatever you want. They are unwilling to have a conversation about it really. They might engage, but they don’t want to because they’re finding it probably very difficult to explain things.”

This stance from the PGMO underscores a broader problem of openness and answerability in the sport’s refereeing, as per the experienced manager.