Howard Webb-Chris Kavanagh ‘face-to-face meeting’ to be delayed after Aston Villa vs Newcastle drama
Howard Webb will be unable to deal with the Chris Kavanagh fallout following Newcastle United’s FA Cup win over Aston Villa.
That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that the PGMOL chief will be out of the country until Wednesday, 18 February.
Kavanagh and his assistants were at the centre of controversy at Villa Park on Saturday, 14 February, with Marco Bizot sent off for Villa and Lucas Digne avoiding a red card before escaping a penalty.
In addition to that, Tammy Abraham’s opening goal should have been chalked off for offside, leaving Webb with plenty of complaints over one of his most senior referees in England.
Chris Kavanagh must meet with Howard Webb after FA Cup howlers
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former referee said: “Howard Webb’s concern is that, today, he’ll be flying out to Turkey for Galatasaray vs Juventus, where he will be the UEFA referee observer.
“At some point today, he will be out of England. He’s getting out of the way so he can’t deal with any managers or anything of the like.
“The ultimate responsibility of referees in England is Howard Webb’s. What’s he going to do in terms of discussion with the match referee? He won’t be doing that today, as he’s on a plane.
“He won’t be doing it tomorrow because he’s in Turkey, and he doesn’t leave the city until Wednesday afternoon. He’s not able to deal with it until then.
“There are phone calls and Zoom calls, but if I were him, I’d be having a face-to-face meeting at St George’s Park, with a video review of that particular performance. I’d start to ask questions.”
Eddie Howe left baffled by controversial incidents at Villa Park
Eddie Howe was pretty unimpressed, to say the least, accusing referees of being overreliant on VAR, which was clearly exposed during the FA Cup weekend.
While the Magpies boss missed the technology when Abraham’s goal was allowed to wrongly stand, he admitted that it does take away from the joy of the game due to the uncertainty over decisions.
He summed up how the majority of football fans feel about VAR. And with the lack of technology, Kavanagh now has a lot of questions to answer, especially to his boss, Webb.
He is supposed to be one of the most experienced in England, but once again, his performance has been shrouded in controversy, not for the first time in 2025-26.
To read more expert analysis on Chris Kavanagh fallout, head to Villa News for all the latest