David Moyes Asserts PGMO Unwilling to Clarify Debatable Decisions
David Moyes has claimed 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. The Everton manager said he was left speechless when Fulham were awarded what proved to be a decisive penalty against Nottingham Forest on Monday.
Lack of Uniformity in Penalty Calls Highlighted
The Toffees were refused 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, following 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.”
Previous Cases and Mounting Discontent
The coach also pointed to an previous case in the season at Brentford involving Virgil van Dijk which was very comparable. “It was later it was given. It is frustrating it wasn’t given on the night and we are looking at others which have been missed,” he added.
Lack of Dialogue with Officiating Authorities
Questioned on whether he intended to present his case with the officiating body, Moyes expressed additional concern. “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 will have, but they don’t want to because they’re finding it probably very difficult to explain things.”
This stance from the PGMO highlights a broader problem of transparency and answerability in the sport’s refereeing, according to the long-serving coach.
