Richard Keys: PGMOL furious I revealed their stance on Everton penalty controversy at Liverpool
The PGMOL would have had “no complaints” if Everton were given a penalty at Anfield says Richard Keys, but were furious that he revealed so.
Liverpool won 2-0 in the Merseyside derby yesterday (24 April) but benefited from what Keys saw as two penalties not being given against hem, including one where Anthony Gordon made it “too dramatic” and was booked for diving by Stuart Attwell.
But the second, where Joel Matip appeared to clearly foul the Toffees winger, Keys calls a “stone-wall pen”, and the refereeing body apparently didn’t disagree, but were angry that the beIN Sports presenter shared that information.
He had posted on his personal Twitter account yesterday towards the end of the game: “PGMOL tell us that that they would’ve had ‘no complaints’ had Attwell given Everton a penalty Anfield Rd end. So my question is ‘why didn’t they ask the ref to go and look at it – & make his own mind up’? It was a pen. That the match day centre make the decisions is madness.”
Then on his blog today, Keys wrote: “You don’t have to believe me that it was a pen. PGMOL liaison were furious that I revealed what they told us about it. Their view was that had it been given they wouldn’t have argued.
“I still don’t know why they got so upset. What have they got to hide? We need more transparency. Fans have a right to know these things. We should be able to hear every conversation at the monitor. Why are the PGMOL allowed to operate as a boys club keeping thoughts and decisions to themselves? It’s our game as well.”
Not good enough
It doesn’t happen often but Keys is right this time, firstly to share what he was told by PGMOL, and then to question their reaction.
If the custodians of the game want to maintain the integrity of it then they should be doing everything they can to make the officiating more transparent.
Nothing will satisfy every fan on every decision, but trying to keep things quiet when highly contestable decisions are made will only fuel conspiracy cries.
When the stakes are as high as they are it is even more important, and Keys believes recent events will send the club down, writing: “Right now they’re my favourites to join Norwich and Watford in the Championship. And that’s sad. I hate saying it.”
VAR is supposed to be there to catch decisions that the on pitch referee misses, but twice in key situations, against Liverpool and Manchester City, the assistant hasn’t referred what looked like clear infringements for a second look.
Yet of course Craig Pawson was sent to the monitor, by Stuart Attwell no less, to send off Allan against Newcastle.
Not only should these situations be referred to the pitch-side screen, to show everyone the referee has clearly seen it if nothing else, but they should then be capable of sticking with their original decision if they choose.
As Keys points out, those two calls may end up being the difference between Frank Lampard keeping the club in the Premier League or not.
That these calls are being missed through incompetence and poor use of the system is bad enough, but to be trying to keep the process secret leads to further suspicions.
However it is coming about, the Toffees are suffering heavily right when they need all the luck they can get, and it might already be too late.
In other Everton news, one star at the centre of controversy at Anfield has made a promise in a plea to the fans.
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