Ex-PGMOL chief calls for Howard Webb to act after Arne Slot punishment in Liverpool defeat | OneFootball

A former chief executive of the PGMOL has called for incumbent Howard Webb to ‘visit’ Arne Slot after the Liverpool head coach’s frustrations boiled over during the defeat to Crystal Palace on Saturday.

The Dutchman was shown a yellow card by Chris Kavanagh for being excessively vocal in his protests over the awarding of the corner which led to Ismaila Sarr’s ninth-minute opener, with Dermot Gallagher later declaring that the Reds were ‘unlucky’ with that decision, which should’ve been a goal kick.

The LFC coaching staff were also left remonstrating with officials at full-time after Eddie Nketiah’s winning goal was scored beyond the originally indicated six minutes of stoppage time at the end of the second half.

Hackett urges Webb to meet with Arne Slot

Speaking to Football Insider, Keith Hackett has advised PGMOL chief Webb to meet Slot at Liverpool’s training base in Kirkby and have a constructive discussion over how to improve relations between managers and referees.

The former top-flight whistler said: “Picking up a yellow card in the ninth minute is not good for the game, whether that be for the manager or on the pitch. We need to recognise that managers are under pressure to win.

“It is a pressurised environment, much like it is for the referee. Where’s the word of warning gone? That might just be a conversation between Slot and the fourth official.

(Photo by Alex Broadway/Getty Images)

“If I were Howard Webb, I would be ringing Mr Slot this morning, and I would talk to him about coming to visit later in the week. What about? Let’s see if we can improve the relationship between you and my match officials.

“Some referees might be overly aggressive; some might be overly tolerant. Talking prevents, so that is an important role for Howard Webb. I would be visiting Melwood [sic], not having a phone call. A face-to-face is what gains more respect both ways.”

Webb needs to improve refereeing standards in the Premier League

Few (if any) things infuriate Premier League managers more than critical refereeing mistakes, and although to err is human, the lack of any improvement in the standards of officiating in the English top flight remains a major problem.

As Hackett points out, different referees will deal with similar incidents in different ways. Some might seek to be as amicable as possible and work with coaching staff rather than talking down to them; others are inclined to take more of a confrontational ‘my way or the highway’ approach.

Slot isn’t the sort of coach who performs a 90-minute war dance of fury on the touchline in every game, and although he was sent off after the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park last season, his fury was understandable as both Everton goals in that 2-2 draw were contentious.

It’d be naive to expect referees to get every single decision correct, and many of those are subjective, but Webb does need to get a grasp on the inexplicable errors which occur on a weekly basis in the Premier League and leave managers with legitimate gripes.

The more that the respective parties co-operate with one another and have a cordial discussion to explain their respective points of view in order to gain a better mutual understanding, the better it would be for the sport in this country.

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