Manchester United Football Club News

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Neville calls for elite officials

16 Nov 2009 - 10:35:24

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Manchester United defender Gary Neville has added to the current controversy about Premier League referees by saying he would like to see an elite referee pool introduced.

Last week, United manager Sir Alex Ferguson was given a two-game ban for suggesting Alan Wiley was not fit enough to officiate a Premier League game.

The 67-year-old was also fined £20,000 by the Football Association and warned about his future conduct after making the comments in the wake of last month's 2-2 draw with Sunderland.

"They should use a few elite officials in the big games instead of trying to give all referees experience," Neville told The Times. "Their decision-making doesn't seem to be great in the big moments.

"Italian referee Pierluigi Collina always used to get the big Champions League matches because he rarely made mistakes. They should make it like that in England.

"These big games shouldn't be about giving refs' experience. They should have to earn it. The best players play for the big clubs and the best commentators commentate on the big games. That's how it should be with refs.

"I don't want to say we've been hard done by this season because every team has their complaints, and I don't want to jump on referees' backs because they're under a lot of pressure.

"Nevertheless, I expect the big decisions in the big matches to be correct, which isn't happening at the moment."