Richard Keys calls for PGMOL action after controversy in West Ham United win v Man United
Richard Keys has called for Michael Oliver to be “stood down” from Premier League games by the PGMOL after an incident in the clash between West Ham United and Manchester United.
Julen Lopetegui’s side claimed all three points in a 2-1 win at the London Stadium on Sunday (27 October) thanks to Jarrod Bowen’s late penalty after Matthijs de Ligt was adjudged to have fouled Danny Ings.
While David Coote didn’t award a spot-kick as the on-field referee, VAR Oliver told him to overturn the decision and beIN Sports broadcaster Keys has torn into the official for making a “fool” out of his colleague.
Writing in his personal blog on Monday (28 October) he said: “It was another really poor weekend for our officials – but how many times do I say this?
“As bad as it was – I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like the pen West Ham got. Michael Oliver should be stood down for a few weeks. He indulged himself and made a complete fool of a colleague.
“David Coote did not make a ‘clear and obvious’ error. Oliver should never have got involved in the process. You could see as Coote turned away from the monitor he knew he was doing the wrong thing. So is that three VAR errors now Howard.”
Should West Ham have had a penalty in win over Manchester United?
From a West Ham perspective, supporters will have very few complaints that Oliver got this one wrong at such a crucial stage of the game.
The Irons are more than due a slice of luck when it comes to these sorts of contentious decisions as it feels as though they have already been on the wrong end of quite a few close calls.
But from a neutral standpoint, it is inexcusable that officials in the Premier League are still making these major errors week in and week out. Every weekend, there is at least one controversial incident that divides fans and pundits alike.
That shouldn’t be happening in the best league of the world. Something needs to change sooner rather than later to bring some consistency to the Premier League as games are being overshadowed continuously.
At least this one went the Hammers’ way. Had the roles been reversed, Irons supporters would have been copying Keys’ calls to punish Oliver.
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