David Moyes Claims Refereeing Officials Unwilling to Explain Debatable Calls

The Everton boss has stated that the PGMO is reluctant to engage with managers because so many refereeing decisions this season have been hard to justify. The Everton manager said he “half choked” when Fulham were awarded what proved to be a decisive penalty against Nottingham Forest on Monday.

Inconsistency in Spot-Kick Decisions Highlighted

Everton were denied a penalty on Saturday for a comparable incident during their home defeat by Arsenal. Moyes did not criticise the decision at the time but, following Fulham’s penalty, feels the inconsistency of referees must be addressed.

“It took my breath away last night when I saw the decision given and ours wasn’t,” said the Everton manager. “It feels as though certain clubs get those decisions and other clubs don’t. It appears we are on the latter side of that.”

Previous Cases and Mounting Discontent

Moyes also referenced an earlier incident in the season at Brentford involving Virgil van Dijk which was very comparable. “It was later it was given. It is frustrating it wasn’t given on the night and we are reviewing other instances which have been missed,” he added.

Communication Breakdown with Officiating Authorities

Questioned on whether he intended to raise the issue with referee chiefs, Moyes expressed further frustration. “I don’t really know,” he said. “They don’t make it easy whatever you want. They are unwilling to have a conversation about it really. They might engage, but they don’t want to because they’re likely discovering it is very difficult to explain things.”

This position from the officials underscores a wider issue of openness and accountability in the sport’s refereeing, according to the long-serving coach.