UK Media: Some Premier League Clubs Plan to Visit Referee Chief Weber for Explanations; Manchester City vs. Arsenal Match Becomes the Flashpoint

The Premier League has only just begun its current season with five rounds played, yet controversial refereeing decisions have been rampant. Particularly, the 2-2 draw between Manchester City and Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium has sparked significant controversy due to a series of officiating calls by referee Michael Oliver. According to British media outlets such as The Times, because of these frequent controversial decisions, some Premier League clubs are now planning to visit Howard Weber, the head of referees, to demand explanations and vent their frustrations.

The new season of the Premier League has just started, but controversies involving referees have arisen one after another. For instance, in the opening round, during the match between Arsenal and Wolves, Wolves player Mosquera’s provocative actions towards Havertz and Jesus went unpunished. In the fourth round, during Chelsea’s match against Bournemouth, referee Anthony Taylor lost control of the game, resulting in a total of 14 yellow cards being issued, setting a new record for the most yellow cards in a single Premier League match. As a result, Taylor was not selected to officiate any matches in the fifth round.

In the recently concluded match where Manchester City drew 2-2 with Arsenal, a series of controversial refereeing decisions made by Oliver once again turned Premier League officials into targets of public criticism. During this match, Calafat’s equalizing goal benefited from Oliver restarting play a few seconds too early, which immediately incensed Manchester City. Additionally, Trossard received his second yellow card for touching the ball after the whistle, while a similar action by Doku was overlooked by Oliver. It can be said that Oliver’s officiating displeased both sides, with both Manchester City and Arsenal expressing anger over his decisions.

In fact, in the third round when Arsenal drew 1-1 with Brighton, Rice also received his second yellow card for touching the ball after the whistle, yet a similar action by the opponent was not penalized. This is naturally one of the main reasons Arsenal is angry about the refereeing. To date, PGMOL has not provided a systematic and direct response to the series of controversial refereeing incidents.