Even weeks after the game, Tottenham Hotspur’s clash with Manchester City is still in the headlines, with PGMOL [Professional Game Match Officials Limited] manager Howard Webb admitting that the decision to stop the game after a foul on Erling Haaland when City were on a break was actually a mistake.
Tottenham defender Emerson Royal tackled Erling Haaland, who passed forward for Jack Grealish. The former Aston Villa player was in on goal and referee Simon Hooper initially played the ball on the advantage, but ruled a foul to stop play.
As a result, all the bright blue shirts surrounded Hooper, who didn’t flinch and gave the Norwegian striker a yellow card for dissent. The decision continued to polarise opinion even after full time, but most Tottenham fans would have to agree that they were a bit unlucky in this situation.
Here’s what Webb told match officials: ‘Mic’d Up’ by Webb via ESPN on the incident:
“Yeah, it’s a refereeing error,”
“In this case, [the referee] sees a pretty strong, reckless foul by Emerson Royal on Haaland. It happens in the middle of the pitch, and the ball comes back.”
“He does a difficult job, hesitating just for a moment to see if there is a possible advantage. But in his mind, when he thinks it through, he realises that it was a strong attack, that he was reckless, that he will have to warn.”
The error raises questions about the impact it had on the overall dynamics of the game and the subsequent reactions of players and fans.
Another refereeing error?
However, as already mentioned, the incident turns into the same thing; Tottenham supporters have to admit that this time fortune was clearly in their favour.
The refereeing this season has not been of a high standard and there is only so much that clubs, or even fans, can do in this area. The only thing that needs to be stressed, whether the decisions are in your favour or not, is the fact that they are also responsible people and that they are susceptible to making mistakes.
Accepting mistakes encourages constructive dialogue on how sport can continue to improve refereeing standards and ensure that the outcome of matches is decided by the players on the pitch and not influenced by refereeing disputes.
However, Webb cannot declare after every controversial decision that the decision was difficult or that it was a mistake. All clubs would be committed to consistency in decision making. When the Premier League achieves this, disagreements over decisions taken in tense moments will be significantly reduced.