10 of the worst refereeing decisions of the season so far

07 January 2015 12:31

Former referees’ chief Keith Hackett has labelled the current crop of officials as “the worst that we have seen”.

So we took a look at the worst refereeing decisions of the season so far – in date order – and it seems that Swansea have been particularly hard done by.

1. Michael Oliver – Stoke v Swansea – October 19

Stoke's Victor Moses earns a penalty against Swansea
If Moses can’t part the sea of defenders, he just falls over (Martin Rickett/PA)

Tough on the whole to blame referees for not spotting diving, however Victor Moses’ dive was particularly blatant. Referee Oliver penalised defender Angel Rangel and awarded the penalty much to the horror of the Swansea players. Swans boss Monk branded the decision during his side’s 2-1 defeat as “disgraceful” and “disgusting”.

2. Kevin Friend – Everton v Swansea – November 1

Referee Kevin Friend during Everton's game against Swansea
Kevin, that thing on your forehead? That’s not supposed to touch the ball (Richard Sellers/EMPICS)

Neither Friend or his assistant managed to spot Everton defender Antolin Alcaraz deflect a shot from Swansea’s Jonjo Shelvey with his hand back to goalkeeper Tim Howard. Swansea boss Monk was, again, not too impressed. ”I didn’t know you were allowed to play with two goalkeepers,” he told reporters after the goalless draw. “It’s a clear, clear penalty. He’s actually saved the ball. It’s not as if it’s struck his arm, he’s actually gone to save it.”

3. Mike Jones – Southampton v Man City – November 30

Sergio Aguero was brought down by Jose Fonte in the area but instead of being awarded a penalty, the Argentinean was booked for diving during City’s 3-0 win. Former referee Graham Poll felt it was “one of the worst decisions of the season”.

4. Chris Foy – Chelsea v Hull – December 13

Already on a booking, Chelsea defender Gary Cahill tumbled between Tom Huddlestone and David Meyler apparently in search of a penalty. Foy had previously booked his team-mate Willian for diving but elected not to show a second yellow to the England centre half. ”It’s like something out of Swan Lake,” after the 2-0 defeat Hull boss Steve Bruce said. “It’s that blatant, that obvious what he’s trying to do. That was not a hard decision and you expect the referee to do his job. He was only 10 yards away.”

5. Andre Marriner – Sunderland v Hull – December 26

Marriner failed to spot two big decisions during Hull’s 3-1 win, with both Alex Bruce and Stephen Quinn handling inside the area. “It was one of the worst afternoons in terms of decisions,” Sunderland manager Gus Poyet said afterwards. “You don’t need to ask if they were penalties.”

6. Anthony Taylor – Southampton v Chelsea – December 28

Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas gestures to Anthony Taylor
Cesc Fabregas suggests which part of Anthony Taylor’s anatomy might be put into action (Tim Ireland/AP/PA)

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho described the decision by Taylor to book Cesc Fabregas for diving as a “scandal” after he was seemingly brought down by Southampton defender Matt Targett in the area. Following the 1-1 draw Fabregas was more measured saying Taylor “did not have the best game of his life”, but Mourinho did not take the decision too well. “I think it is a scandal because it is not a small penalty – it is a penalty like Big Ben.”

7. Andre Marriner – Liverpool v Swansea – December 28

Liverpool forward Raheem Sterling wasn’t carded after pushing Swansea defender Federico Fernandez in the face in the 83rd minute, despite a linesman standing in between the pair. No retrospective action was taken against Sterling following the Reds’ 4-1 win, meaning it was likely that the officials saw the incident.

8. Anthony Taylor – QPR v Swansea – January 1

Referee Anthony Taylor holds a yellow card
He’s got a card and he’s not afraid to use it – though not always at the right time (Daniel Hambury/PA)

Taylor failed to show a red card to QPR goalkeeper Rob Green for handling outside the area, denying Wayne Routledge a clear goalscoring opportunity just five minutes into their New Year’s Day clash. Taylor angered Swansea further by sending Routledge off after 86 minutes for kicking out at Karl Henry, with that red card rescinded the next day. Swansea boss Monk was, yet again, incensed with the decisions after the 1-1 draw. He said: “I am losing a bit of faith and so are my players when we continuously have decisions like this.”

9. Mike Jones – Leicester v Liverpool – January 1

“Worst penalty decision ever” was the verdict of former Foxes striker Gary Lineker after Jones penalised Leicester defender Wes Morgan for handball when Coutinho’s cross hit the defender in the face. Leicester felt further aggrieved when Jones awarded another penalty against Danny Simpson for handball which they felt was accidental. Leicester fought back to earn a 2-2 draw.

10. Kevin Friend – Hull v Everton – January 1

Just 10 yards away and with a clear view of the incident, Friend gave Hull a free kick instead of a penalty as Gareth Barry brought Abel Hernandez down a good yard inside the area. Hull won the game 2-0, so not much was made of the decision afterwards.

Source: SNAPPA