Simon Jordan slams Daniel Farke over Middlesbrough v Leeds controversies
Simon Jordan has criticised Daniel Farke’s post-match comments after Leeds United were wrongfully denied two goals against Middlesbrough.
Farke, who is feeling the heat as Leeds aim for promotion back to the Premier League, could not hold back his frustrations as two of his players had goals ruled out for offside on Tuesday, 8 April.
Dan James opened the scoring after just two minutes at the Riverside Stadium, slotting under Mark Travers with the first attack of the game, but Ao Tanaka had the chance to double Leeds’ advantage taken away.
Michael Carrick’s side grew back into the game, but that almost unravelled as the Whites broke away and Patrick Bamford slotted away Leeds’ second goal, only for the opposite linesman to rule it offside, incorrectly.
Understandably, Farke was frustrated with the decisions, with his side battling against Sheffield United and Burnley for promotion, but Jordan has hit back at his comments about the officiating.
Daniel Farke in the crosshairs after frustrated post-match comments
Speaking live on talkSPORT (9 April, 11:09am), Jordan said: “All football should be getting the best version of refereeing. The question is the competency. I don’t like his argument… I understand why he’s making it.
“But he’s either suggesting the assistant referee is incompetent or biased. If he’s suggesting he’s incompetent, the question should be, ‘Why is he refereeing any games?’ If that’s the case, we should look at the quality of assistant referees.”
Leeds United take important step towards promotion despite setbacks
Despite having two goals ruled out, James’ early strike was enough to secure all three points at the Riverside Stadium, and push Leeds back to the top of the Championship table.
Burnley were surprisingly held to a 0-0 draw against strugglers Derby County, while Chris Wilder‘s Blades fell to a 1-0 defeat against Millwall at Bramall Lane, blowing the title race wide open again.
| Championship standings | Goal difference | Points |
| 1. Leeds United | +52 | 85 |
| 2. Burnley | +43 | 85 |
| 3. Sheffield United | +25 | 83 |
With Pascal Struijk possibly unavailable for Leeds until the end of the season, Farke will be hoping that James’ knock is nothing too serious and he can celebrate the return of Bamford to the pitch.
It was a much-needed victory away from Elland Road, given they came into the game with just one win in their last six games, and Boro was possibly their hardest match-up in the end-of-season run-in.
Supporters know exactly what could happen should the Whites miss out on promotion for a second consecutive campaign, but fears of a repeat have been drastically minimised after Tuesday night’s win.