A rematch in view? Premier League refs’ chief Howard Webb to admit Nottingham Forest should have had penalty vs Everton

Howard Webb, the chief refereeing officer at PGMOL, has admitted that Nottingham Forest should have been awarded a penalty in their recent match against Everton. The admission comes after Forest were denied three separate penalty claims, leading to a 2-0 defeat at Goodison Park.

Webb’s admission is set to be aired on the programme “Match Officials Mic’d Up” on Tuesday evening, where he will acknowledge that Callum Hudson-Odoi was brought down in the area by Ashley Young and a penalty should have been awarded. However, Webb will not admit fault for the other two incidents, involving Hudson-Odoi’s challenge on Giovanni Reyna and a claim of handball.

The decision has been met with mixed reactions, with some praising Webb for taking responsibility, while others feel it doesn’t go far enough. Nottingham Forest were incensed by the decisions during the match and questioned the integrity of the Premier League’s decision to make Stuart Attwell the VAR, given his support for Luton Town.

The club released a statement after the match, saying: “Three extremely poor decisions – three penalties not given – which we simply cannot accept. We warned the PGMOL that the VAR is a Luton fan before the game but they didn’t change him. Our patience has been tested multiple times. NFFC will now consider its options.”

The statement was widely criticised, with many feeling it was an overreaction. Alan Shearer described it as an “absolute embarrassment” and asked: “what the f*** were they doing?” However, Mark Clattenburg, a refereeing consultant for Forest, reinforced the club’s position, saying: “One of these errors would have been bad enough, three was a joke, and that is why Nottingham Forest were left feeling victimised after another defeat in which zero big decisions went their way.”

The incident has sparked a wider debate about refereeing standards in the Premier League and the use of VAR. While Webb’s admission is a step towards accountability, many feel more needs to be done to address the issues. Nottingham Forest could yet face punishment from the FA for their statement and comments made by Nuno Espirito Santo and Neco Williams.

In a season marked by controversy and inconsistency, the incident has added fuel to the fire. As the Premier League continues to grapple with refereeing issues, fans and clubs alike will be hoping for greater clarity and consistency in the future.

The situation has also raised questions about the selection process for referees and VAR officials. If Attwell’s support for Luton Town was known before the match, why was he still selected for the fixture? The Premier League’s Independent Key Match Incidents Panel has deemed that VAR should only have intervened for one of the incidents, but this does little to address the broader concerns.

As the Premier League enters its final stretch, the focus should be on the football, not refereeing controversies. However, until the issues are addressed, incidents like this will continue to dominate the headlines.

In conclusion, Howard Webb’s admission is a welcome step towards accountability, but more needs to be done to address the underlying issues. The Premier League must take a hard look at its refereeing standards and the use of VAR to ensure consistency and fairness for all clubs. Until then, controversies like this will continue to plague the league.