Rob Edwards to contact PGMOL again after controversial Leicester City penalty against Middlesbrough
Leicester City’s equaliser came under controversial circumstances as Rob Edwards confirmed he would once again speak to the PGMOL following a series of refereeing decisions that went against Middlesbrough in their draw at the King Power Stadium.
The main talking point centred on the penalty awarded for handball against Hayden Hackney, which replays suggested occurred outside the penalty area. Hackney appeared to misjudge the bounce of the ball before it struck his arm, prompting protests from the Boro players.
Reacting to the incident live on Sky Sports’ Soccer Special, pundit Courtney Sweetman-Kirk said:
“It’s really weird — like a FIFA glitch! His feet don’t move, then his arm goes towards the ball. That’s the point you’d throw your controller at the TV! Ayew took the penalty well. I’m usually quick to criticise referees, but given how fast it happened, I don’t think it’s the worst decision. If VAR was in play, though, I think it would have been overturned.”
After the match, Edwards told BBC Tees Sport that he intends to contact Kevin Friend, who oversees Championship officials for the PGMOL. The Boro boss made a similar call earlier this season following a missed penalty decision in their win over Sheffield Wednesday.
“It could have cost us,” Edwards said. “And so could Fatawu’s challenge on Tiggs. He was already booked, and Tiggs needed stitches afterward. It’s a yellow card, which means they should have been down to ten men. The referee was looking right at it.”
Frustrated by what he views as repeated officiating errors, Edwards added:
“Right now, there are some big decisions going against us and possibly stopping us from picking up extra points. I’ll speak to Kevin Friend again — I have to stand up for the club. I’m really not happy with some of these calls.”
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