This week I have seen two very poor decisions from match Referees that have rightly been questioned and criticised by pundits, sports reporters, managers, players and fans. We all know about the disallowed goal at Derby, but the second appalling decision came in the Wolves v Arsenal game yesterday, when Michael Oliver gave a straight red to Myles Lewis-Skelly for tripping a Wolves player. (See footage on Sky Sports) We see these trips regularly in games up and down the country when a player will "take one for the team". What I find totally unacceptable is that the PGMOL has publicly backed the Referees concerned and confirmed that both decisions were correct, when they were both definitely not correct. Worse still, the VAR agreed with the sending off of the Arsenal player! Officiating in the EPL and EFL is incredibly poor this season and standards have been in decline for a number of years, so what can be done to improve the situation, if the PGMOL are backing very poor VAR and Refereeing decisions?
Wasn't the MLS red card given for "foul play" as he caught him above the ankle, rather than the denial of a goal scoring opportnity?
Myles Lewis-Skelly red card: PGMOL says tackle that earned Arsenal defender red card at Wolves was high and late | Football News | Sky Sports
Yes that's what it was given for appartently, very harsh like but think it was because he caught him a bit higher up
Everyone appears to be jumping on the "DOGO" reason and calling it absurd because he was on the edge of the Wolves box, but it wasn't given for that.
Myles Lewis-Skelly has avoided a three-match ban after Arsenal successfully appealed against his red card in Saturday's win at Wolves. The 18-year-old was controversially shown a straight red card by referee Michael Oliver in the first half of Arsenal's 1-0 victory for taking down Matt Doherty in his own half. Lewis-Skelly became the third youngest player to be dismissed in Premier League history, but the Gunners lodged an appeal in a bid to get the red card overturned and the FA's decision means the versatile full-back will not be suspended.
I thought the Arsenal one was a red personally. Studs down the shin pad onto the top of the foot. Plus I hate professional fouls anyway. Should be a straight red. Blatant cheating. Refs have never been under greater scrutiny imo. It is a fundamental issue in our game that they are treated so badly. By players, by coaches, by the media. None of whom are capable of being a ref. Half dont even know the rules. Imagine if the better refs think bollocks to it, not worth the grief, it would get worse. I would like standards to be better, of course I would. Unfortunately they are human and make mistakes. A bit like players in that respect. The only difference refs make a fraction of the mistakes in a game a player does!
We all have our own opinions on the red card, but for me it was a yellow, because it was a trip and nothing more than that. As can be seen in the footage and still photographs, there was no attempt to injure the player. We see it in every match, a trip, a shirt pull or even O9 catching a piggy back to stop a breakaway attack. Like it or not, it's part of the game and if nothing else, creates a talking point post match.
It reminds me a bit of a red card that Max Power got for us (v Oxford maybe?). Tripped the opposition player in a similar part of the field but caught his trailing leg with too much force. I thought it was ridiculous at first but then, on the replays, you could see that Power did give him a whack rather than a pure trip. The Arsenal one looked ridiculous in real time and on the replay! MLS did catch their player a little bit dangerously - though not a whack like Power's was. Just another sign that the laws of the game are always moving towards outlawing anything but perfect tackling.
