“Absolutely f*cking useless” – PL club Sporting Director BANNED for verbally abusing Anthony Taylor

Matt Hobbs was frustrated after the VAR did not send Taylor to the pitch-side monitor.

“Absolutely f*cking useless” – PL club Sporting Director BANNED for verbally abusing Anthony Taylor

Matt Hobbs was fined heavily for verbally abusing Anthony Taylor (via Football London)

Premier League side Wolverhampton‘s sporting director, Matt Hobbs was imposed with a one-match ban and fined £4,000 for verbally abusing referee Anthony Taylor during Wolves’ frustrating 2-2 draw against Newcastle, last month. Taylor was abused by Hobbs for his poor decision-making during the match.

Matt Hobbs, who has been serving as a sporting director for Wolverhampton since 2015, criticized referee Anthony Taylor for awarding Newcastle a contentious penalty in their match against Wolves, back in October. Hobbs called Taylor, ‘Absolutely f*cking useless’ after he was dropped by the FA for poor refereeing in the match. Upon hearing Hobbs’ criticism, Taylor exclaimed that such sort of remarks are unacceptable in football.

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Taylor awarded Newcastle United with a controversial penalty after Hwang Hee-chan brought down Fabian Schar in the penalty box. The contentious decision was made after Taylor consulted VAR, which allowed the Magpies to secure a point from the game. VAR has been under a lot of criticism since its introduction in the Premier League, with many teams calling out the FA to improve the mechanism.

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Matt Hobbs, the Wolves’ sporting director, who abused Anthony Taylor, was found guilty of breaching FA’s rule E3.1. He later issued an apology to the referee and the football association for his misconduct and expressed remorse over the incident, terming it ‘below the expected standard’.

Wolves involved in recent VAR controversy following a 3-2 defeat against Fulham

Wolverhampton found themselves embroiled in another VAR controversy after the team conceded a controversial penalty during the final minutes of a 3-2 defeat to Fulham, this weekend. This is the third time Wolves have been associated in a VAR controversy this season.

Willian converted the penalty to help Fulham get all 3 points
Willian converted the penalty to help Fulham get all 3 points (via The Guardian)

Referee Michael Salisbury awarded Fulham a late penalty, using VAR after Joao Gomes allegedly fouled Harry Wilson in the box. Willian converted the penalty, securing a 3-2 victory for Fulham. Wolves manager Gary O’Neil criticized the referees and the VAR system, expressing frustration about Fulham’s first penalty too.

This isn’t the first time Wolves have faced controversial refereeing decisions. In October, a disputed penalty by referee Anthony Taylor led to a 2-2 draw against Newcastle. Similar incidents occurred in the Wolves’ first league match against Manchester United, where a foul by Onana against Sasa Kalajdzic inside the penalty box went unnoticed. Subsequently, Wolves lost the game 1-0.

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