Debatable Decisions EPL – Week 6

Week Six of the Premier League season and we’re starting to see a recurring theme, renowned “divers” not getting penalties they actually deserve. That and dubious handballs that get everyone’s knickers in a twist. Not to mention dangerous tackles that seem to get the tribal juices of football flowing. Enjoy!

Man Utd – Spurs

Nani Penalty Shout

Simon M – I think it’s fair to say that the referee got this one wrong. There’s clearly a push and some holding on Nani and, in my opinion, the referee has looked at who was involved and made a really poor judgement call. Fair to say too, though, that the view for the ref was poor.

Mike – You see so much holding in the box these days that, if you give a penalty for that, you’d be giving penalties left, right and centre. I also think Nani goes down rather easily. Despite both those things, I still think it should be a penalty because I don’t think you should get away with grappling at a player like that, anywhere on the pitch.

Ant – Nani goes down a bit theatrically but he was having his shirt pulled and it should have been a penalty.

Simon F – Nani clearly has his shirt pulled and without question this should have been a penalty.

Callum – Hmm, tough, as Nani has thrown himself to the ground, but there’s enough contact in there for me to give a penalty.

Overall Verdict – Incorrect Decision

Van Persie Offside Goal

Simon M – He’s offside, no doubt about it.

Mike – It’s fairly close but it’s still clear. I doubt the linesman struggled to make this decision. He is offside.

Ant – RVP is offside so it was the correct decision.

Simon F – Van Persie has clearly strayed just offside and a good decision by the assistant referee.

Callum – Just offside, think the linesman has made the correct call.

Overall Verdict – Correct Decision

Sandro Possible Handball In Area

Simon M – Why are his arms there? He’s looking for the ball and moving towards the edge of the area, so why have your arms out like that? I think it should have been given.

Mike – This is bizarre. From the angle behind Sandro, it looks a penalty. From the angle in front of him, it doesn’t. His arms are everywhere and you do run the risk when you start putting them in such strange positions. But I would let him off because he doesn’t make contact until the ball has bounced and he’s getting his arm back in. It’s certainly not deliberate. The old adage about “unnatural positions” comes into play, but like I said, I think his arm is down enough by the time it contacts.

Ant – Viewing in real time, I thought this was a handball but in the replays I don’t think he does it on purpose.

Simon F – One that sits in that massive ‘grey area’ which surrounds the handball rule. After watching it a good few times, I’ve come down just on the side that it should have been a penalty as Sandro’s arm was well away from his body and he had the time to move it out of the way but didn’t.

Callum – Another tough call, but Sandro is waving his arms round there, and a penalty wouldn’t be the wrong decision.

Overall Verdict – Incorrect Decision

Norwich – Liverpool

Suarez Penalty Shout

Simon M – A woeful piece of refereeing, absolutely shocking. That’s a clear penalty. That’s too obvious to be shrugged off as a simple mistake, I genuinely think the referee considered the player involved.

Mike – Suarez is clearly making no progress in his efforts to fall to the floor without looking like he’s cheating. Has the guy ever gone down naturally? Despite Suarez’s jelly-like descent to the turf, I do feel he gets a shove in the back and you should be giving a penalty, really.

Ant – Very blatant penalty. I’m not sure how it’s okay to drive your elbow into some one and then be told you are diving. Is his reputation influencing the officials decisions?

Simon F – Whether Suarez’s reputation as a diver is justified or not, there is no excuse for this decision from the referee. Without any doubt it should have been a penalty.

Callum – Clumsy challenge, penalty.

Overall Verdict – Incorrect Decision

Arsenal – Chelsea

Vermaelen Tackle on Hazard

Simon M – It’s a poor tackle, but not worthy of a red. Had it been the other way round would we have heard the end of it?

Mike – The goalpost is in the way. It’s impossible to give a decision.

Ant – The view is not the best but from what I can see, this was the correct decision.

Simon F – A late lunge from Vermaelen which should have been met with a booking.

Callum – If that was Stoke on Arsenal, Arsenal fans would be calling for the player to be sent off. Yellow card would have sufficed.

Overall Verdict – Correct Decision

Arsenal and Chelsea Penalty Shouts

Simon M – Cazorla goes down like a tonne of bricks under minimal contact and Torres kicks Koscielny. Neither was a penalty.

Mike – I don’t think either of these are penalties. Yes, there are arms involved in the Arsenal one, but I don’t think they do much. As for the Chelsea one, it looks to me like Torres kicks fresh air and falls over.

Ant – The Arsenal claim is nowhere near being a penalty and the Chelsea one is even worse with Torres missing the ball and falling over.

Simon F – Both correct decisions. I could almost see the reason for awarding Arsenal a penalty, but it would have been very soft, in the end I think the attacker felt the contact and chose not to compete for the ball, rather than was impeded from doing so. As for Torres, he either kicks the defenders foot or his own, either way it is not a penalty.

Callum – Neither are penalties. Mikel has hardly touched Carzola, and the same for Koscielny on Torres.

Overall Verdict – Correct Decisions

Fulham – Man City

Riise Penalty

Simon M – Blimey, that’s one of the worst I’ve seen this season. This talk of foreigners being branded divers is nonsense, only certain foreigners are branded divers.

Mike – This looks very harsh to me. I think Riise maybe feels the slightest contact and throws himself down, making sure he lands in the area.

Ant – This is as bad of a dive as you will see all season absolutely pathetic.

Simon F – There is the briefest of contact between the two players, but Riise uses that as an excuse to throw himself to the ground. No penalty.

Callum – Doesn’t look like there’s enough contact there for a penalty, if any.

Overall Verdict – Incorrect Decision

Tevez Penalty Shout

Simon M – Riise’s guilty at the other end of the pitch now. He pulls Tevez back, it’s a clear penalty.

Mike – This one happens very quickly, and it really doesn’t look like a penalty.

Ant – Not the best view but I don’t think there’s much in this at all.

Simon F – Riise clearly grabs Tevez and pulls him back, a clear penalty in my opinion.

Callum – As the commentator says, seen them given. Enough contact there for the penalty to be awarded.

Overall Verdict – Incorrect Decision

City Shot Possibly Over Line

Simon M – No way of telling, so going to go with the officials.

Mike – Virtually impossible to tell. I’d say it looks, on balance, like some of the ball stays in contact with the line

Ant – Not over the line.

Simon F – It’s impossible to tell definitively from the angles we have, but there is nothing that makes me feel that the ball did cross the line fully, so I’m siding with the officials.

Callum – Not over for me.

Overall Verdict – Correct Decision

Zabaleta Possible Handball In Area

Simon M – No way could this be given as a penalty. Zabaleta is just sliding in to make the block and his arms are in a natural position.

Mike – I’m not having this one. Yes, his arm is out, but he’s just sliding to make a block and the ball is blasted at it.

Ant – I don’t think you can give a penalty for this.

Simon F – There is nothing unnatural about the positioning of Zabaleta’s arm, he is merely supporting his body weight rather than throwing himself into the block recklessly. I could in no way judge this to be deliberate.

Callum – Penalty. Doesn’t matter whether he’s on the floor there, it’s hit his hand which is nowhere near his body.

Overall Verdict – Correct Decision

Reading – Newcastle

Possible Penalty/Offside

Simon M – Good call from the officials. The attackers has strayed offside and whilst it would have been a penalty had he been onside, it’s not, because he wasn’t.

Mike – He’s offside, so it’s no penalty. It’s correct not to give a penalty, though the referee did it for the wrong reason.

Ant – He was offside so it’s also not a penalty.

Simon F – Had the player not been offside, then I think Newcastle should have had a penalty. As it is, he had strayed offside and as such any subsequent foul is not in play.

Callum – Offside, so no penalty.

Overall Verdict – Correct Decision

Stoke – Swansea

Davis Penalty Shout

Simon M – That’s a horrendous attempt at a dive, really, really poor. What on earth was he thinking? Good call from the referee.

Mike – I think Davies feels the slightest brush and drops to the floor. No penalty

Ant – Another pathetic dive and a well deserved yellow card.

Simon F – I don’t want to make a habit out of defending Stoke players, but I think the referee got this one spot on. The Swansea player has gone over expecting the contact which never came and was rightly booked.

Callum – Gone over far too easily there, no contact. Booking to Davis the correct decision.

Overall Verdict – Correct Decision

Sunderland – Wigan

Gomez Red Card

Simon M – Rightly rescinded by the FA because this was nowhere near a dangerous tackle. A little bit late, but a yellow would have sufficed.

Mike – I think this is a joke of a red card. I’m all for getting rid of dangerous challenges, but at worst, this was clumsy. Gomez isn’t even fully committed. It’s not a good challenge because he misses the ball, but there’s barely anything in it

Ant – I think Gomez was entitled to go for the ball and this is nowhere near a red card.

Simon F – For me this is reckless rather than using excessive force, and should have been a yellow card rather than red.

Callum – It’s late, not won the ball. Red card.

Overall Verdict – Incorrect Decision

Fletcher Possibly Offside Goal

Simon M – He’s on. Not much more we can add to that.

Mike – He’s level.

Ant – Clearly onside.

Simon F – Fletcher has timed his run perfectly and is (just) onside.

Callum – Onside. No question.

Overall Verdict – Correct Decision

Larsson Tackle on Kone

Simon M – Red for Gomez and Larsson gets away with this?! That was a shocking tackle, had he made contact he could have caused real damage and I think he even tries to make sure he makes contact with a little kick afterwards.

Mike – Explain to me why Gomez’s tackle was worse than this? Larsson is studs-up, flying in and even drives his studs at Kone as he goes through. Should have been off.

Ant – Might have been bad if he’d made contact but for me this was a booking at most.

Simon F – A terrible tackle from Larsson, there is no need for his foot to be up that high. He definitely crossed the line in my opinion and should have been sent off.

Callum – High, and had there been contact, Larsson surely would have had to have seen red. No red for me though.

Overall Verdict – Incorrect Decision

Aston Villa – West Brom

Possible Handball In Area

Simon M – That’s a penalty. He moves his arm towards the ball, his arm isn’t in a natural position. etc. etc. etc. An unusually straightforward handball decisions.

Mike – I know it’s controversial, but I think this is deliberate handball. Usually, at that distance, you give the defender the benefit of the doubt. But in this case, the Villa player clearly moves his arm towards the ball.

Ant – I think Albrighton moves his arm slightly towards the ball and although it’s close range I think it should have been a penalty.

Simon F – Albrighton can have no excuse for his arm being up and away from his body like that, and he should have conceded a penalty for it.

Callum – Handball. Penalty.

Overall Verdict – Incorrect Decision

Long Goal Ruled Out Offside

Simon M – Ever so slightly off, but off nonetheless.

Mike – He is just about leaning himself offside.

Ant – Very very close but Long is just offside.

Simon F – He has only just strayed offside, but a very good call by the assistant referee.

Callum – Yep, Long is offside there, by quite a way. Good decision.

Overall Verdict – Correct Decision

Possible Offside in Build Up To Long Goal

Simon M – I think this was a good call from the officials, he’s just about onside and to call it off with such slight margins would have been incredibly harsh.

Mike – He might be marginally offside but it’s so hard to tell from the angle we have, which is not the right one at all for judging this, that I will side with the officials.

Ant – I think he’s just offside

Simon F – Morrison is played just onside by the Aston Villa right back, another excellent call.

Callum – He’s on I think, just. Great timing of the run.

Overall Verdict – Correct Decision

***You can follow all five judges on Twitter; Simon M – @Deb_Decisions, Callum – @callummaclean91, Ant – @Acidburn81, Mike – @mkobylko and Simon F – @SFurnivall.