The Everton Fans’ Forum has expressed dissatisfaction with Howard Webb’s response to their concerns about refereeing decisions that have negatively impacted Everton in the Premier League. The forum had previously reached out to Webb, who is the head of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), highlighting several controversial decisions, including a handball call against Amadou Onana during Everton’s match against Manchester City.
Webb replied to the forum’s letter on March 28, 2024, but his response was seen as generic and insufficient, failing to address the specific issues raised by the forum. As a result, the Everton Fans’ Forum took to social media on March 29, 2024, to express their disappointment and demand a more detailed explanation by April 12, 2024. They also shared the background document and specific questions they had initially presented to Webb, which they felt remained unanswered.
The forum’s grievances stem from a series of decisions they believe have unfairly disadvantaged Everton, particularly around the turn of the year. Incidents cited include the wrongful sending off of Dominic Calvert-Lewin against Crystal Palace, which was later overturned, a challenge on Onana by Dejan Kulusevski that should have resulted in a penalty, and the aforementioned handball call against Onana in the match against Manchester City.
Webb’s response has been criticized for seemingly prioritizing the protection of referees over providing clarity on the contentious decisions. The Everton Fans’ Forum hopes for a more satisfactory response from Webb in the future, as they believe the refereeing errors could have significant implications for Everton’s season, potentially affecting their Premier League status.
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