Leicester City manager Steve Cooper has expressed his frustration with refereeing decisions following his side’s 2-1 defeat to Chelsea, confirming plans to write to the PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) to raise concerns.
Cooper was particularly aggrieved by referee Andy Madley’s performance, though he chose his words carefully to avoid further trouble.
The flashpoint came when Leicester were denied a penalty after Levi Colwill appeared to bring down Stephy Mavididi in the second half. Madley waved away appeals, and VAR opted not to intervene.
The Foxes did eventually win a penalty in stoppage time when Bobby De Cordova-Reid was fouled by Romeo Lavia.
Initially, the decision was delayed as Leigh Doughty, who replaced an injured assistant referee at half-time, flagged Reid for offside. However, VAR reviews confirmed Reid was onside, and Madley pointed to the spot.
Speaking to talkSPORT’s Sam Matterface after the match, Cooper revealed his frustration with recent officiating and suggested that official complaints were necessary to get the PGMOL’s attention.
“I think the club needs to, and they will, they will to be fair because I’m not saying that we’re not, but in this moment we have got to officially write things or pick up the phone and go, ‘Come on, what’s going on here,’” Cooper said.
“The last thing the PGMOL needed this week is things like that. It’s no good for anybody. Everybody is talking more about the decisions than the actual game, which is always a good indicator of how the game’s been refereed.”
Cooper also alluded to earlier frustrations with Madley, notably during Leicester’s clash with Crystal Palace earlier in the season.
In that game, Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta scored a controversial equaliser after VAR overturned an offside decision.
Cooper argued that VAR had used the wrong freeze-frame to determine the call, with social media images appearing to support his case.
“We’re over it now, it was an awful human error that we believe has been hidden a little bit,” Cooper said in the aftermath of that decision.
“We showed the Premier League clear footage that actually the game was stopped at the wrong time.”
Cooper highlighted these issues as part of a broader concern about the need for accountability and technological improvement in officiating.
“Errors like that shouldn’t happen and it’s why we’re changing to the semi-automated system. We felt very let down by it. We needed to stand up for the club and tell the Premier League what we thought.”
Leicester’s complaints underline growing frustrations with VAR and refereeing consistency, as they seek clarity and fairness in future matches.
