David Moyes Claims PGMO Reluctant to Clarify Controversial Decisions
David Moyes has claimed that the Professional Game Match Officials 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 decisive penalty against Nottingham Forest on Monday.
Lack of Uniformity in Spot-Kick Decisions Highlighted
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, following Fulham’s penalty, believes the lack of consistency of referees can not be ignored.
“I was half choking last night when I saw the decision given and ours wasn’t,” said the Everton manager. “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 Growing Frustration
Moyes also referenced an previous case in the season at Brentford involving Virgil van Dijk which was quite similar. “I think eventually it was given. It is frustrating it wasn’t given on the night and we are reviewing other instances which have been overlooked,” he added.
Communication Breakdown with Officiating Authorities
When asked whether he intended to raise the issue with referee chiefs, Moyes expressed further frustration. “It’s unclear,” 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 likely discovering it is very difficult to explain things.”
This stance from the PGMO highlights a broader problem of transparency and answerability in the game’s officiating, according to the long-serving coach.
