Premier League clubs will confront Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) chief Howard Webb over a series of refereeing errors this season, according to the Times.
The clubs are expected to express their frustration and demand improvements during the first top-flight shareholders’ meeting in London on Thursday.
Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest and Leicester City have been vocal about incorrect or inconsistent officiating.
Manchester City and Arsenal also publicly criticised Michael Oliver’s decisions in their recent 2-2 draw.
Webb is expected to face scrutiny over controversial decisions such as the penalty West Ham United should have received when Crysencio Summerville was pulled down by Chelsea’s Wesley Fofana during their clash over the weekend.
The Hammers could have turned the tide around if that call went in their favour, and will feel aggrieved.
There have also been other contentious calls this season despite the refereeing chief promising improvements after the many issues from last season.
Dango Ouattara’s disallowed goal for Bournemouth and Joelinton’s potential red card for Newcastle. Webb admitted to errors in some cases but has defended others as correct decisions.
However, moral victories don’t put points on the board. Potential relegation-battling managers such as Steve Cooper of Leicester and Nuno Espirito Santo of Forest have voiced concerns about refereeing mistakes impacting their teams’ results.
The Forest boss was incensed over the weekend when his influential playmaker Morgan Gibbs-White received a red card following a second yellow card for a strong tackle on Brighton & Hove Albion striker Joao Pedro. Gibbs-White won the ball but received his marching orders.
Webb is under pressure, with the shareholders’ meeting promising to be tense. His promises of improvement do not appear to have made a difference in the Premier League.
