Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images
Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images
Manchester United fans’ frustrations are now being echoed by former Premier League referee, Mark Clattenburg, who has Howard Webb squarely in his sights.
Football became secondary in the Manchester derby after a farcical offside decision in the second half allowed Man City to score the winner.
The call was so blatant and obvious that both Lisandro Martinez and Michael Carrick went in on the decision-makers after the game.
The ProRef association acknowledged the error after the game, which doesn’t change anything, and Mark Clattenburg has had enough of it.
Mark Clattenburg demands Howard Webb’s removal
Martinez said after the game that he can’t understand how these rules are enforced, especially because PGMOL spends more than an hour before every season with every player to make them understand the rules.
Are those tasked with explaining the rules not understanding them well in the first place?
If that’s the case, then scrutiny needs to be directed at Howard Webb, who is the head of refereeing in England.
United in Focus spoke to Clattenburg in the wake of the farcical offside decision in the derby, and he said Webb has failed to improve the standards.
He said: “When Mike Riley left his position as head of refereeing in England, everyone thought Howard Webb would solve the issues. It’s clear again after a huge error in the Manchester derby at the weekend that refereeing in England is lacking in training and football understanding to match the quality of the league.
“Webb has been in his position for close to four years and has not improved refereeing in England, and it might be time to change the management structure and push to improve standards.”
Getty Images
It’s quite a bold claim from Clattenburg, having been in the thick of these things earlier, so he speaks from a position of authority.
Man Utd fans would know better than anybody that what happens during the game on the pitch is only a symptom of a problem upstairs.
Like the Glazers, or after this window, Ineos are the problem at Man Utd, could Howard Webb be failing in his job, resulting in howlers from his peers on the pitch?