Leeds United employee hits out at ‘shocking’ footage
Noel Whelan has slammed the “abysmal” refereeing by Stuart Atwell as 10-man Leeds United held out for a 0-0 draw against Aston Villa on Sunday (2 October).
The former Leeds striker, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, insisted Atwell was “whistle-happy and card-happy” – and accused him of “ruining” the game.
Luis Sinisterra received a second booking in the second half of the encounter after preventing Aston Villa from taking a free-kick.
Atwell dished out seven cautions in total during Sunday’s game.
Manager Jesse Marsch also took issue with what he perceived to be time-wasting tactics from the away side.
Speaking post-match and quoted by Leeds Live, Marsch revealed he will be talking with the Premier League about preventing sides from employing such tactics against his team – insisting he “feels bad” for the Whites fans.
Whelan suggested Atwell’s “shocking” performance was “not a great advert for referees”.
He told Football Insider’s Ewan Kingsbury: “The referee had an abysmal game.
“The game was really competitive and it had a physical nature, but I don’t think any of the challenges warranted a yellow card.
“He was inconsistent. If you’re going to set a precedent with bookings for those sorts of things, you’ve got to give it to both sides.
“The game was stop-start. He was whistle-happy, card-happy, and he didn’t let the game flow – which made for a very bad game.
“From the word go, you knew someone was going to be sent off. It’s not a great advert for referees, he had a shocker.
“He should’ve known the history of meetings between these teams.
“He ruined the game, quite frankly.”
In other news, Kieran Maguire claims Leeds United are taking “near-£20m” gamble amid courtroom twist.