Sunderland have officially requested the PGMOL explain to them why they were not given a penalty against Everton on Monday night amid a handball claim.
At the Stadium of Light earlier this week, Sunderland fought back from a goal down to claim a point against Everton, but felt aggrieved that they weren’t given the opportunity to grab all three from the spot.
Granit Xhaka said his team should have won and was disappointed with the overall performance. They had their fair share of chances, but it was that moment involving Michael Keane that has really left its mark on the Black Cats.
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At the time, Mark Clattenburg insisted it was the right call not to give the penalty, due to the proximity of Keane to the ball and how little time he had to react. Now, the former referee has shed some light on what Sunderland can expect from the PGMOL in terms of a response.
Mark Clattenburg during West Bromwich Albion v AFC Bournemouth - Premier League
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What Sunderland can expect from PGMOL request
TBR Football asked Clattenburg what the PGMOL will do now after Sunderland’s request, and he said: “Sunderland requesting clarification and the dialogues from the match officials on why they were not given a penalty against Everton is not uncommon in the Premier League.
“The PGMOL management team will meet the club officials and they will be given an explanation as to why it was not given by the chief of refereeing Howard Webb. They will also be allowed to listen to the audio for transparency.”
Adding more detail, Clattenburg explained how Sunderland might feel after the meeting, and also revealed that the PGMOL meetings do sometimes involve the group admitting mistakes, though it’s not clear whether they will do that on this occasion.
He added: “When I was working at Nottingham Forest, this procedure happened and it was refreshing the level of transparency, even if the club did not agree with the explanation, as it will give you closure. Other clubs have followed the same procedure and in the end, all the clubs want is consistency in the referee’s decisions.
“In the instance when Nottingham Forest spoke with the PGMOL, it was accepted by them that they made one error in not awarding Nottingham Forest a penalty.
As Clattenburg told us on Monday night, there has been a slight change to the threshold for handballs this season, with a player’s natural position the key focus. While there can be no going back now regarding that decision earlier this week, Sunderland will at least be happy to get some transparency.
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Everton goal should not have counted, says former PGMOL official
It wasn’t just the handball incident that left Sunderland frustrated. The Black Cats players, staff, and fans all believed Everton’s incredible solo strike from Iliman Ndiaye should not have counted, due to a perceived foul in the build-up.
Now, former PGMOL official Keith Hackett has backed that claim. He said: “I think that Sunderland can feel aggrieved with the referee allowing the Everton goal to stand. It appears that both the referee and VAR, surprisingly, Michael Salisbury, didn’t intervene and get the referee to review the goal.
“In my opinion, in the build-up, a Sunderland player was fouled. Ball broke loose to Everton and then away they went and finally finished up scoring. A goal that really should have been reviewed”
Regardless, we saw Sunderland earn another point from a losing position, something they have a real knack for doing. They’re still in the top four and have a great chance of staying in the Premier League this term.
They’ll just be hoping those two missing points don’t cost them dearly come the end of the season.