James Maddison expected to be charged by FA for controversial Tottenham comment
Former PGMOL general manager Keith Hackett has said that he expects James Maddison to be charged by the FA following the comments he made about Tottenham’s disallowed goal in the first half of their win over West Ham.
The refereeing standards and the role of VAR have come under increased scrutiny at the start of the Premier League season, amidst several controversial decisions.
The use of technology and the officiating once again came under the magnifying glass in Tottenham’s derby win at the London Stadium on Saturday.
Cristian Romero converted from a Mohammed Kudus inswinging corner in the first half, only for the referee Jarred Gillett to blow for a foul on Kyle Walker-Peters by Micky van de Ven.
Despite replays showing that Van de Ven himself was pushed by Hammers midfielder Mateus Fernandes, who instigated the chain reaction, VAR chose not to intervene.
James Maddison could be charged for criticising officiating in West Ham vs Tottenham
James Maddison blasted the officials for disallowing Romero’s goal, with the Tottenham midfielder stating that the referees and VAR have had “an absolute shocker” so far this season.
Ex-FIFA official Hackett has said that he is a fan of players expressing their opinions candidly, but admits that he expects Maddison to be charged, as the FA are monitoring comments made against officials on social media.
Hacket told Tottenham News: “I hope that we never stop players from expressing their opinion. I agree with his view that the season has not started well for match officials.
“I expect Maddison to be charged. The FA are clearly monitoring comments made on social media throughout all levels of the game.”
VAR’s implementation has been poor but criticism lacks consistency
There is no doubt that the implementation of VAR has been inconsistent, and some of the officiating has been poor at the start of the season.
Players, managers and pundits should be able to criticise the standard of officiating, but there is a lack of consistency in how many are criticising VAR.
With regards to the Romero incident, it is lost on many that they are criticising VAR for not intervening after they have just spent the last few weeks pillorying VAR for intervening too often on decisions that are not clear and obvious.
Getting rid of VAR is also not the panacea that many pretend it would be. For example, the Romero goal would still not stand without VAR, as the referee’s on-field decision would stand.
One only has to look at the regular controversies in the Championship to understand why managers and fans would be screaming for VAR to be reinstated if it is done away with completely.
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