David Moyes Claims PGMO Reluctant to Explain Controversial Calls
The Everton boss has stated that the Professional Game Match Officials is hesitant to communicate with managers because so many 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.
Inconsistency in Penalty Calls Highlighted
The Toffees were refused a penalty on Saturday for a comparable incident 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 can not be ignored.
“I was half choking 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.”
Previous Cases and Mounting Discontent
Moyes also referenced an earlier incident in the season at Brentford involving Virgil van Dijk which was very comparable. “I think eventually 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.
Lack of Dialogue with Referee Chiefs
Questioned on whether he intended to present his case with the officiating body, Moyes expressed further frustration. “It’s unclear,” he said. “They are not accommodating 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 stance from the PGMO highlights a broader problem of transparency and answerability in the sport’s refereeing, according to the long-serving coach.
