Howard Webb makes Farai Hallam decision after Man City vs Wolves refereeing drama
Howard Webb and the PGMOL have made a statement regarding Farai Hallam after his role in Man City’s win over Wolves on Saturday.
Omar Marmoush and Antoine Semenyo were on target for City in a 2-0 win on 24 January, helping the Citizens to move within four points of Arsenal, who slipped up against Man United at the weekend.
Despite the result, Pep Guardiola was furious with the referee over two contentious decisions against the Old Gold, both of which became huge talking points for supporters up and down the Premier League.
Firstly, Marmoush was denied a penalty after Yerson Mosquera handled the ball inside the penalty area, with Hallam even sticking to his decision after VAR official Darren England advised a second look.
Then, in the closing stages, Mosquera scythed down Jeremy Doku, a challenge which earned a yellow card, but the City manager wanted the defender sent off.
Howard Webb has a clear plan for Farai Hallam
A lot was made about Hallam’s future as a Premier League official, with former PGMOL chief Keith Hackett applauding the referee for having the guts to go against VAR, and a decision has now been made on his next game.
Taking to X (27 January), The Telegraph’s James Ducker wrote: “Farai Hallam has NOT been dropped from refereeing in the Premier League this weekend following MCFC v WWFC game.
“He’s doing the Stoke vs Southampton Championship game at 12:30pm on Saturday (31 January). He was never in line to do a Premier League game this weekend. Part of Webb/PGMOL’s approach to phasing in referees.”
It was only a week ago that Hackett was calling for England to be suspended after Arsenal were not awarded a penalty against Nottingham Forest, but the outcome is completely different here.
PGMOL have already shown the steps with Andrew Kitchen
Andrew Kitchen has emerged as an up-and-coming referee in the Premier League, but there is no guarantee that any of these new names end up staying in the top tier of English football.
Kitchen officiated a game at the back-end of the 2024-25 campaign, with his next appearance in October, then again in December, with the PGMOL having clear steps for these referees.
Hallam got a lot of attention at the weekend, which could also be in the thinking behind the decision to send him back down to the Championship, but it was likely already decided.
The likes of Michael Oliver, Jarred Gillett, and Stuart Attwell will always take the headlines because of their experience and knowledge of the game, but it is time for a wave of new names to emerge.