Brighton deserved a penalty in Premier League clash against Tottenham, admits Refereeing body
Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma was seemingly fouled in the box late in the game.
Follow Us
The Refereeing Body, PGMOL, on Sunday, admitted that not awarding a penalty to Brighton and Hove Albion against Tottenham Hotspur yesterday was a misjudgment. Spurs took all three points, winning 2-1 in north London, but not without drama.
VAR disallowed two goals for Roberto de Zerbi’s side. Brighton was also denied what appeared to be a stonewall penalty at 1-1 when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg appeared to foul Kaoru Mitoma in the box. PGMOL’s chief refereeing officer, Howard Webb, has issued an apology to the Seagulls. He conceded that the on-field officials and VAR were incorrect. After the game, Brighton defender Lewis Dunk slammed the officiating, questioning the use of VAR.
“There’s no point having VAR in the game if you’re not going to make big decisions like that,” Dunk said after the full-time whistle.“That changes everything, and I just don’t get it.” When asked about the decision to rule Mitoma’s goal out for handball, the English centre-back added: “They can make the handball decision, but not the other ones. I believe they made a close decision on a handball but did not make a clear decision on the penalty.”
Tottenham remains fifth in the Premier League table. They are now seven points ahead of Brighton, despite having played two more games. The Lilywhites are only three points behind third-placed Newcastle and fourth-placed Manchester United. However, both teams have a game in hand on the north Londoners.
In case you missed it: Pep Guardiola reveals what separates Lionel Messi from the likes of Erling Haaland and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Why was Cristian Stellini sent off in the Premier League battle between Brighton and Tottenham?
Brighton and Hove Albion manager Roberto de Zerbi sparked a hostile atmosphere after an animated pre-match handshake and constant taunts to the Tottenham staff during the game. The conversation between the benches eventually turned into a giant melee. Spurs fitness coach Stefano Bruno was especially enraged, bouncing around, pointing, and yelling. Also present were goalkeeping coach Marco Savorani and fitness coach Costantino Coratti.
Spurs manager Cristian Stellini was largely uninvolved, only joining in towards the end to break up the two parties. However, he was sent off along with de Zerbi. The official reason for his sending off is that “the managers failed to control their coaching staff.”
Law 12 in the FA rulebook states, “Where an offense among team officials is committed, and the offender cannot be identified, the senior team coach present in the technical area will receive the sanction”. Therefore, what seems like a harsh sending-off is well within the rulebook. A suspension is not a guarantee, with the decision set to be reviewed thoroughly.
Related News:
Todd Boehly or John Terry? Who brought Frank Lampard back to Chelsea?
Jose Mourinho hits back at Antonio Cassano’s criticism with three points against Torino
Stay Updated!
Anany Kapoor
(105 Articles Published)