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Ivory CoastPremier League Panel Backs Controversial Referee Decisions
A Premier League panel has backed refereeing decisions in recent matches involving Manchester City and Everton.
Manchester City Penalty Call Upheld
Manchester City midfielder Elliot Anderson was cleared of any wrongdoing in his side's 5-3 victory over Sunderland. A Premier League panel agreed that referee Rob Jones and VAR Michael Salisbury made the right call by not awarding a penalty against him.
The incident occurred during a tense second half when the ball struck Anderson's hand. He was challenging Enzo Le Fée inside the City penalty area at the time. Jones did not give a penalty and Salisbury chose not to overturn the decision from Stockley Park.
Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris was left angry by the call. However, the five-person Key Match Incidents panel supported the on-field referee. The panel contains three former players and coaches, a Premier League representative, and a member of Pro Ref.
Split Vote Over Handball
The panel was not entirely united on the matter. They backed the referee's decision by a tight margin of three votes to two.
According to the panel's findings, the referee's call of no penalty for a potential handball offence against Anderson was supported. The panel noted that both players were engaged and the ball was bouncing at close proximity after deflecting off Le Fée.
Two members of the panel believed that Anderson made a deliberate secondary movement with his arm, which should have resulted in a penalty. Despite this disagreement, the panel voted four to one that the VAR was correct not to intervene in the play.
Everton Disallowed Goal Supported
The panel also looked at another split decision from Everton's 1-0 victory against Ipswich at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The Toffees believed they had scored a second goal when Thierno Barry found the net with a header. However, referee Stuart Attwell disallowed the goal after being advised that Brennan Johnson was offside in front of goalkeeper Christian Walton.
The panel supported the VAR intervention to disallow the goal by a three to two majority. They stated that Johnson was clearly offside and in very close proximity to the goalkeeper. His movement impacted Walton's ability to set and move toward the ball. Two panellists disagreed, feeling Johnson did not impact the goalkeeper.
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