David Moyes has claimed that the PGMO 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 “half choked” when Fulham were awarded what proved to be a decisive penalty against Nottingham Forest on Monday.
The Toffees were refused a penalty on Saturday for a comparable incident during their home defeat by Arsenal. The manager initially held his tongue on the decision at the time but, in light of Fulham’s penalty, feels the inconsistency 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. It appears we are on the latter side of that.”
Moyes also referenced an earlier incident 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.
When asked whether he intended to raise the issue with referee chiefs, Moyes expressed additional concern. “I don’t really know,” he said. “They are not accommodating whatever you want. They don’t want 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 underscores a wider issue of transparency and accountability in the sport’s refereeing, according to the experienced manager.
