Leeds United employee hits out after ‘laughable’ twist in controversy
Noel Whelan has sympathised with Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch after his sending-off during the away loss at Brentford.
The former Whites striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, insisted the decision to deny Crysensio Summerville a penalty was “laughable”.
Marsch was dismissed by referee Robert Jones after remonstrating with the officials about a number of contentious decisions during Leeds United’s 5-2 loss against Brentford on Saturday (3 September).
The American now faces a nervous wait to see if he will be banned from the touchline for next week’s game against Nottingham Forest.
As seen in footage from Twitter, the Whites were denied a penalty in the second half after Aaron Hickey pulled down Summerville on the edge of the penalty area.
VAR chose not to intervene and referee Jones was not sent to the pitchside monitor for another look at the incident.
The decision comes as the Premier League demand a review of the Video Assistant Referee system by the PGMOL after other controversies involving Newcastle and West Ham.
Whelan told Football Insider‘s Ewan Kingsbury: “It should be very easy for a referee to give that decision even without VAR.
“But when you’ve got that helping hand as well – I just find it laughable.
“How can they get it so wrong after looking at it from every angle and in slow motion. It’s a penalty all day long.
“I can absolutely see where Jesse Marsch’s frustration is coming from. It was a big decision at a crucial time in the game.
“They’re getting it so wrong and it’s really infuriating for players and managers – it’s hurting them.”
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