The Everton manager Claims PGMO Unwilling to Clarify Controversial Calls
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 hard to justify. The Everton manager said he “half choked” when Fulham were awarded what proved to be a decisive penalty against Nottingham Forest on Monday.
Lack of Uniformity in Penalty Calls Brought to Light
The Toffees were refused a penalty on Saturday for a similar offence during their home defeat by Arsenal. Moyes did not criticise the decision at the time but, in light of 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. “There is a sense that certain clubs get those decisions and other clubs don’t. We seem to be on the latter side of that.”
Previous Cases and Growing Frustration
Moyes also referenced an previous case 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 missed,” 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. “I don’t really know,” 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 position from the officials highlights a wider issue of openness and answerability in the game’s officiating, according to the long-serving coach.
