“Killing the game” – Fans LIVID with Premier League refereeing following controversial decisions in the Liverpool and Manchester City games

Fans believe City with their finances are corrupting the league!


“Killing the game” – Fans LIVID with Premier League refereeing following controversial decisions in the Liverpool and Manchester City games

Controversial penalty decisions during Manchester City vs. Everton and Liverpool vs. Arsenal. (Image via Sky Sports and the Mirror)

Premier League refereeing standards, which include decisions made by the Video Assistant Referees have frequently been placed under scrutiny. Fans have raised concern over penalty decisions made by the officials and the undue influence of teams on these decisions, notably after Everton vs. Manchester City and Arsenal vs. Liverpool matches.

During a recent Premier League match, Manchester City won 3-1 against Everton. However, match officials faced criticism for giving City a penalty when the ball accidentally hit Everton’s Amadou Onana’s arms. Everton’s manager, Sean Dyche, strongly criticized the handball rules because the penalty contributed to their loss. Julian Alavarez scored the penalty in the 64th minute. People online mocked Manchester City, claiming they influenced referee decisions unfairly.

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PaddyPower’s recent ‘X’ post compared the Goodison Park incident to a similar situation during Arsenal’s contentious 1-1 draw against rivals Liverpool. The match was marred by criticism from Reds fans who questioned the referee for not awarding a penalty in the 20th minute of the match when Gunners’ captain Martin Odegaard slipped and touched the ball with his hand inside the penalty box. Despite Liverpool players’ insistence and VAR reviews, no penalty was given.

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These incidents add to a string of mistaken decisions by Premier League officials, labeled as ‘bizarre,’ sparking frustration among global football fans.

Netizens express disappointment over inconsistent refereeing in the Premier League

An ‘X’ post comparing Manchester City’s penalty against Everton to Liverpool’s contentious no-penalty decision against Arsenal, caused a stir. The post went viral, sparking fan reactions and raising concerns about Premier League refereeing standards and team influence.

Premier League referees were criticized for not awarding Everton a penalty following Rodri's handball
Premier League referees were criticized for not awarding Everton a penalty following Rodri’s handball. (Image via The Guardian)

One user claimed Manchester City’s owners bribed Premier League officials for favors, implying the officials were under their influence. Another fan humorously remarked on City facing 115 legal charges, impacting the league’s standards. Overall criticism targeted the nature of the decisions and Manchester City, who were labeled as ‘corrupt’. Some of the ‘X’ reactions have been shared:

https://twitter.com/SunilChauhan5/status/1740131973979656623

Some supporters highlighted City midfielder Rodri‘s handball against Everton, in the 2021/22 season- where Liverpool lost a league title by just a point. However, a few fans even defended the referee’s decision, exclaiming that the handball against Onana was justified.

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