Ex-Fifa referee fumes as ‘pretty awful’ Bernardo footage emerges from Man City
John Moss was guessing when he awarded Man City a controversial penalty in their 1-0 win over Wolves.
That is the view of ex-Fifa and Premier League referee Keith Hackett, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the “pretty awful decision” that decided the game at the Etihad Stadium.
Moss pointed to the spot when he thought Joao Moutinho had blocked a Bernardo Silva cross with his arm, as shown on Match of the Day.
Gary Lineker quoted VAR’s excuse as that there was no “definitive angle” to overturn the on-field decision.
“One of the things I say to referees when I’m coaching them, when I’m managing them is ‘Your performance is not based on you guessing anything’,” Hackett told Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley.
“What Moss has done is he’s in his usual poor position, he’s guessed that the player has handled because he’s seen the position of the arm.
“Then you’ve got Marriner the VAR saying he couldn’t come in because he couldn’t find another angle. Sorry, this was never a penalty kick in a million years.
“Wolves have every right to complain. If I was the manager I’d be on the phone this morning to Mike Riley and say ‘What are your guys doing?’
“The official explanation is a load of nonsense. I can make a penalty call on what I’m seeing on broadcast television. I’m not alone in believing this is a pretty awful decision.
“These guys are 50-plus. I think they need a rest, they need to sit on their hands. Going into Christmas I’d say ‘Right Ok, go on and have a Christmas holiday because the standard of officiating is not good enough’.”
In other news, Kieran Maguire has told chiefs to think ‘very carefully’ after a Man City ‘disaster’.