David Moyes Claims PGMO Unwilling to Explain Controversial Calls
The Everton boss has stated that the PGMO is reluctant to engage with managers because a high number of refereeing decisions this season have been difficult to explain. Moyes said he “half choked” when Fulham were awarded what proved to be a match-winning penalty against Nottingham Forest on Monday.
Inconsistency in Penalty Calls Highlighted
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, following Fulham’s penalty, believes the lack of consistency of referees must be addressed.
“I was half choking last night when I saw the decision given and ours wasn’t,” Moyes commented. “It feels as though certain clubs get those decisions and other clubs don’t. We seem to be on the latter side of that.”
Previous Cases and Mounting Discontent
The coach also pointed to an earlier incident in the season at Brentford involving Virgil van Dijk which was quite similar. “I think eventually it was given. We are disappointed it wasn’t given on the night and we are looking at others which have been missed,” he added.
Lack of Dialogue with Referee Chiefs
Questioned on whether he intended to raise the issue with the officiating body, 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 likely discovering it is very difficult to explain things.”
This stance from the PGMO underscores a broader problem of transparency and answerability in the sport’s refereeing, as per the experienced manager.