01 Mar 2022 12:47:56
Amazed Mike Riley has apologised to Everton for the handball disgrace VS ManCity. They have opened up the potential for legal disputes for anyone affected by the gain / loss of points at the end of the season.

I doubt Liverpool would do this but Everton might if get relegated by one point.

1.) 01 Mar 2022
01 Mar 2022 12:50:35
Does Chris Kavanagh just get off with it? Remember years ago referees used to get demoted.

2.) 01 Mar 2022
01 Mar 2022 13:16:16
That one point might save them from
Relegation or what ever it’s a absolute disgrace the ref and var refs need bootin out and into touch massive fines for incompetence demoted too lower leagues!
That handball was one of the worst I’ve ever seen!

3.) 01 Mar 2022
01 Mar 2022 15:43:14
I just wonder what it must have taken for Riley to apologize. Would he have done so proactively if Everton had not formally complained? How long did it take for him to get on the phone and reach out? What are they doing for quality assurance over refereeing standards in the league? Of course I'm biased towards Liverpool and Merseyside, and im not one of those who want Everton relegated, but this is not just about Liverpool or Everton. This is a high level of injustice, and while we'd like to think it only happens in isolated cases, the truth is that the stakes are too high for these things to happen in the first place, especially with the technology now involved in football. This is probably the most watched league on earth, and to see these kinds of decisions that just smells of favoritism just doesn't sit well at all. I'm hoping at the end of the season, it will all be a much ado about nothing, but I have a feeling it might not.
It's just a shame really, and whatever is driving Tierney and Kavanagh and these other guys, I hope it stops and they start doing the job they're being paid to do.

4.) 01 Mar 2022
01 Mar 2022 16:53:47
Absolutely agree with Noski, although an apology acknowledges a mistake so what in practical terms? doesn't help at the bottom or top of the league and anyone could see what the decision should have been.

One thing I liked in the Africa Cup of Nations was referees going to the monitors and in a few cases sticking to their own original decision, I didn't like the decision against Matip in the cup final but at least the referee went and checked, what are peoples thoughts on anything possible being referred to the monitor?

5.) 01 Mar 2022
01 Mar 2022 17:14:35
And this can impact the title race as well.

6.) 01 Mar 2022
01 Mar 2022 17:22:26
I could be wrong but didn’t lampard say in the interview he’d get an apology as they usually do when there is a “mistake” and nothing would happen. Just seems like same old same old. At least it’s a step I suppose that sly are even reporting it.

7.) 01 Mar 2022
01 Mar 2022 17:38:52
It’s to easy for the on field referee to hide behind the ref on VAR. They should go to the monitor more but then before you know it they’ll be going for every little thing.

It’s just the standard of refs in this league, it worked at Euros.

8.) 01 Mar 2022
01 Mar 2022 17:54:47
I may be mistaken, but isn't also the same officials time and time again? Do they still 'relegate' refs to the lower leagues like they used to?

9.) 01 Mar 2022
01 Mar 2022 20:37:48
I would love him to actually explain why he didn't hive the handball? It beggars belief, how can anybody watching that on a replay not see it as a deliberate handball? How incompetent can u be not to see that?

If u cannot be trusted to make the right call watching slow motion replays, how can u be trusted to referee an actual game played in real time?

City have been lucky with the 2 most dodgy penalty decisions I think anybody has ever seen with this one and the Wolves 'handball' - the apologies don't replace lost points for teams, if this is the level of incompetence, what is actually being done to address this?

10.) 01 Mar 2022
01 Mar 2022 20:52:55
The question is, did they want City to Win or Everton to Lose? Either way it was corrupt.
They have apologised because they’ve cheated. It was the most blatant handball in years and there was no angle or replay that put an ounce of doubt about that.

11.) 01 Mar 2022
01 Mar 2022 22:50:10
Not sure exactly how much revenue Everton could lose by not being in the Premier League but at least they have an apology.

{Ed025's Note - yeah IDOG that apology has made all the difference mate.. :(

12.) 01 Mar 2022
01 Mar 2022 23:14:45
I said it on another post, every member of that officiating team should be sacked immediately. Given the blatantly incorrect nature of the decision there is an extremely high chance that one or all of them are complicit in match fixing.
It really needs to be dealt with in the harshest manner possible or it will continue to happen until the game is completely destroyed like it was in Italy. We are half way there already.

{Ed025's Note - your a guy after my own heart BP mate..

13.) 02 Mar 2022
01 Mar 2022 23:42:11
Shocking examples over the weekend of how those who make the decisions in football and boxing do as they please with complete impunity. At least the boxing folks have started an investigation.
Every single fan watching could see that was a blatant handball. Pundits and commentators alike all saw the same thing. Just how can the VAR guy who is supposedly competent and experienced get it so wrong when everyone else on the planet gaped in disbelief?
It's difficult to believe that somebody could be incompetent on THAT kind of scale, but the only real alternative is a more ugly prospect.
Sitting trying to ignore everything just makes the FA look more arrogant and complicit than anything else, a bunch of old school stuffed shirts who know sod all about the game but answer to nobody.
There should be answers to the obvious questions, or the whole board should be replaced by people who are competent and experienced.

{Ed0666's Note - Kavanagh should be fired for that or whoever the VAR official was. Like you said that was so blatant Richarlason had put the ball on the penalty spot ready to take the spot kick. Is there a sinister underlying layer to this quite possibly? But when we win the Prem they can all go and stew in their cauldron of corruption!

14.) 02 Mar 2022
01 Mar 2022 23:49:56
he should be suspended and then demoted. that was an egregious error.

{Ed0666's Note - flipping hamburgers in McDonald’s is too good for him if you ask me.

15.) 02 Mar 2022
01 Mar 2022 23:34:23
I just hope there’s a flurry of journalists beavering away as we speak gathering evidence to get the scoop on this match fixing Ed. That’s the only way it will be exposed because the authorities within football obviously have no appetite to investigate and expose it as they have too much to lose.

16.) 02 Mar 2022
02 Mar 2022 04:07:51
Both from Manchester. Kavanagh done us twice this season now on VAR duty. Guarantee u he's a closet city fan.

17.) 02 Mar 2022
02 Mar 2022 07:22:50
The ref coming out and apologising is fine but there is a bloke that has multiple opportunities to look at the decision and still gets it wrong. He should be given the boot imo. VAR is meant to negate these contentious decisions and clearly it doesn't. I mean how can he actually get it wrong? Baffling.

{Ed025's Note - if you want to get it wrong irish and you are the one who makes the decision...i imagine its pretty easy mate..

18.) 02 Mar 2022
02 Mar 2022 09:04:57
I'd love it if Lamps just said what we are all thinking - they are hopeless. I am sure he would get plenty of donations to pay the fine.

19.) 02 Mar 2022
02 Mar 2022 12:10:59
I agree with Becker. This must be thoroughly investigated and if there is even a hint of match fixing then the entire crew involved in that match should be sacked immediately. This whole thing stinks to high heaven. It can't be just a simple mistake.

20.) 02 Mar 2022
02 Mar 2022 21:37:19
Stone - I really thinknitnis more likely than are incompetent than fixing the results.