The first hour of the Liverpool vs Manchester City game at Anfield was a treat to watch, with both sides going punch for punch with each other.
However, the minute Ryan Gravenberch received his second yellow, Erling Haaland and co took advantage of the situation and romped to a 3-0 win.
The first yellow for Gravenberch was the harsher of the two, as there was minimal contact on Eliot Anderson. He does catch him, but is it enough for a card? Don’t think so?
The second is definitely soft, because you can see that Jeremy Doku is clearly looking for the contact, so he can go down. Also, though, Doku is quick. You could argue that there is still a fair distance to go before he reaches Liverpool’s penalty area.
How can VAR and Chris Kavanagh change their mind, just because the City players are putting them under pressure? VAR’s ludicrous rule of not interfering with yellow cards is leaving players exposed to the brunt of poor decision-making by officials.
It’s almost as if they’re scared of them.
And when they have been found guilty of 115 charges, it makes it even worse when decisions like these go in their favour.
This is not just ruining the integrity of the Premier League. It has the potential to ruin football forever in this country.
What Are PGMOL And Howard Webb Trying To Prove?
Are Howard Webb and the PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) delusional?
Do they seriously think that allowing mediocre officiating to dictate the outcome of matches is a way of rebuilding their organisation?
If that’s the case, then the game’s gone.
They say the Premier League is supposed to be the best league in the world, but with the standards of officiating as low as this, it clearly isn’t.
Webb must be sitting in his office at Stockley Park pondering if his system actually works, because based on what happened at Anfield, it clearly does not.
If the Premier League is setting the standards for how football is commercialised in this country, they need to ensure that what they deem as clear is logical.
We also need to realise how the decisions officials make are clearly impacting the outcome of games.
Fans are not interested in what makes the brand of the league good. They are more focused on the way the matches are being run and officiated.
You cannot call a league ‘the best in the world’ without evaluating all aspects of it, including the officiating.
The game should be fair on all accounts, and incidents like these are destroying its integrity.
What are your thoughts on this debate?
Are the standards of officiating in the Premier League is gone?
Send us your thoughts on World In Sport.
