EFL Refereeing Abomination Journal 25/26

[NewquayFox]

Let down by Fatawu (again) for the first clumsy yellow, and again by crap play from Mavididi for his 2nd yellow card, Ref was poor again but he didn’t have any option but to send him off… 

[izzymuzzet]

First goal is an incredible mistake from the linesman really. If you can't spot a player half a yard offside from a set piece then what are you even doing in that job. 

[Foxmeister]

1 hour ago, izzymuzzet said:

First goal is an incredible mistake from the linesman really. If you can't spot a player half a yard offside from a set piece then what are you even doing in that job. 

Reminiscent of the Man U goal last season. I expect this has been mentioned before but the 2nd looked offside too, Sky didn’t mention it.

I also think the ref had a rush of blood with the 2nd yellow for Bade, that sort of challenge usually gets a talking to, similar to Simpson’s 2nd yellow at Arsenal in 2016.

[izzymuzzet]

16 minutes ago, Foxmeister said:

Reminiscent of the Man U goal last season. I expect this has been mentioned before but the 2nd looked offside too, Sky didn’t mention it.

I also think the ref had a rush of blood with the 2nd yellow for Bade, that sort of challenge usually gets a talking to, similar to Simpson’s 2nd yellow at Arsenal in 2016.

Think by the letter of the law Aluko's second yellow was justified, but agree the referee could have used his discretion to give a final warning. 

 

Similarly, Fatawu went down too easily before their 2nd but the ref had given a couple of very similar fouls for them just moments before. 

 

I'm not usually a ref basher and we may well have lost this game anyway but he and his assistants had a really poor game on Tuesday. 

[davieG]

45 minutes ago, Foxmeister said:

I expect this has been mentioned before but the 2nd looked offside too, Sky didn’t mention it.

It would definitely have been a 5 min VAR debate in the PL

[fazzyfox]

This is the random mob of chancers being sent to officiate on Saturday, same ref as Swansea away this season apparently 

 

Leicester City v Sheffield United (12:30)
ANTHONY BACKHOUSE
Shaun Hudson and Alex James
Fourth Official: Thomas Kirk

[Brizzle Fox]

58 minutes ago, fazzyfox said:

This is the random mob of chancers being sent to officiate on Saturday, same ref as Swansea away this season apparently 

 

Leicester City v Sheffield United (12:30)
ANTHONY BACKHOUSE
Shaun Hudson and Alex James
Fourth Official: Thomas Kirk

It's easy for confirmation bias to kick in but having watched the City game on Tuesday night and Wrexham vs Bristol City last night, I genuinely saw two of the worst, one sided officiating displays I've seen in the Champs, since well last week. 

 

Brown envelopes, overly swayed by the home fans, unnatural prejudice for or against certain teams and their narratives or just that this is the most useless bunch of officials ever at this level?

 

I think the latter but I can understand why others may think different as it's just so regular.

[justfoxes]

On 04/11/2025 at 23:59, justfoxes said:

That ref was one of the worst so far we’ve had this season giving out cards willy nilly thought he was on a bonus for giving out so many cards, you could see tho more in the second half that he nearly lost complete control of the game when the tackles were going in thick and fast and a few player rolling around, just wonder where the get these incompetent Cockwombles from ?

 

 

Scrub that the tw@ who reffed us against Southampton Gavin Ward now that is one biased knob head of a game ruining Toss Pot who gifted the game to Southampton, mind you we didn’t help ourselves with our dire defending ?

Gavin Ward you my dodgy little fucher you definitely win the  Schitty EFL biased knobhead Cockwomble Cnut of the Month for November !!

 

 

Edited 27 November 2025 by justfoxes

[orangecity23]

12 hours ago, fazzyfox said:

This is the random mob of chancers being sent to officiate on Saturday, same ref as Swansea away this season apparently 

 

Leicester City v Sheffield United (12:30)
ANTHONY BACKHOUSE
Shaun Hudson and Alex James
Fourth Official: Thomas Kirk

So the PGMOL have atually looked into their dankest cupboard, and behind all the Gavin Ward's and Keith Stroud's, they've actually found us a ref called Tony Shithouse. 0-1 Win for Sheff Utd coming from dubious penalty then. 

Edited 27 November 2025 by orangecity23

[Gamble92]

12 hours ago, fazzyfox said:

This is the random mob of chancers being sent to officiate on Saturday, same ref as Swansea away this season apparently 

 

Leicester City v Sheffield United (12:30)
ANTHONY BACKHOUSE
Shaun Hudson and Alex James
Fourth Official: Thomas Kirk

Woo hoo

[PhillippaT]

6 hours ago, justfoxes said:

Scrub that the tw@ who reffed us against Southampton Gavin Ward now that is one biased knob head of a game ruining Toss Pot who gifted the game to Southampton, mind you we didn’t help ourselves with our dire defending ?

Gavin Ward you my dodgy little fucher you definitely win the  Schitty EFL biased knobhead Cockwomble Cnut of the Month for November !!

 

 

They've really let the Orinoco flow...?

[fazzyfox]

5 hours ago, Gamble92 said:

Woo hoo

Alex James, another linesman with Blurred vision!

 

And if Kirk really wants to reach the final frontier and discover strange new worlds he should park on Saffron Lane!

[Ian Nacho]

On a separate note, how on earth do they work out the added time? 4 minutes was ridiculous. There were two goals, four stoppages for substitutions, and they were slowing it down the whole half with "injuries" etc. They were wasting time during the stoppage time and only added an extra 20 seconds. 

Edited 29 November 2025 by Ian Nacho

[Chelmofox]

3 minutes ago, Ian Nacho said:

On a separate note, how on earth do they work out the added time? 4 minutes was ridiculous. There were two goals, four stoppages for substitutions, and they were slowing it down the whole half with "injuries" etc. They were wasting time during the stoppage time and only added an extra 20 seconds. 

Keeper was down for longer than 4 mins, and the keeper kept slow walking to take free kicks. 
 

Didnt make a difference, but 4 was stupid. 

[Arkie Bennett]

28 minutes ago, Ian Nacho said:

On a separate note, how on earth do they work out the added time? 4 minutes was ridiculous. There were two goals, four stoppages for substitutions, and they were slowing it down the whole half with "injuries" etc. They were wasting time during the stoppage time and only added an extra 20 seconds. 

It was verging on corrupt. Four minutes was a joke. Then they wasted 2 of those 4 minutes and were rewarded by the ref with just 20 additional seconds. 

Edited 29 November 2025 by Arkie Bennett

[Craig]

4 minutes ago, Arkie Bennett said:

It was verging on corrupt. Four minutes was a joke. Then they wasted 2 of those 4 minutes and were rewarded by the ref with just 20 additional seconds. 

There was no additional time. They got a corner, wasted about 40 seconds taking it and then the ref blew a couple of seconds after they had taken it.

 

No sympathy with our lot, but it was hilarious refereeing  

[fox_favourite]

7 minutes ago, Arkie Bennett said:

It was verging on corrupt. Four minutes was a joke. Then they wasted 2 of those 4 minutes and were rewarded by the ref with just 20 additional seconds. 

Though I agree, it wouldn't have made any difference. 

 

But I completely agree... officials in this league are atrocious and not fit for purpose. It does feel like there is an agenda against us. 

[katieakita]

Soumare gets booked yesterday and rightly so for a pull back yet on a number of occassions yesterday he gets pulled back and no bookings. Over the last few weeks we commit offences and get booked the opposition do the same and get no bookings and this seems to be happening week in and week out

[fazzyfox]

That thing where the ref points to his watch when their keeper receives “treatment”, I always see that as a reaction to our booing and heckling and perhaps our players calling it out for what it is. Basically pointing at the watch is saying “ don’t worry folks, it’ll be added on, calm down, I’m dealing with it.”

 

Two problems with that, firstly it’s not just about time, it’s about breaking momentum which to be fair we had at that time. Secondly, they never do add it on, therefore the theatrical “look at me I’ve got a watch” shows he’s unaware of the motives behind the stoppage and is an added p***take when we all know damned well it won’t be added. Be crap, be dodgy but don’t bulls**t us. If you’re not going to take it seriously don’t pretend you are.

 

Four minutes was shocking, every set piece had been milked, their sub LB had treatment as well, I don’t know how any of the officials can deliver that verdict with a straight face. Intimidated by Wilder perhaps 

[OnlyOneCity]

Stopping the clock when play is stopped would give a more accurate time addition. Also, throw ins are taking longer than the 8 seconds the keepers are allowed, so should also be checked and penalised. 4 minutes was an absolute joke . Who actually decides on this time?

[davieG]

1 minute ago, OnlyOneCity said:

Stopping the clock when play is stopped would give a more accurate time addition. Also, throw ins are taking longer than the 8 seconds the keepers are allowed, so should also be checked and penalised. 4 minutes was an absolute joke . Who actually decides on this time?

Not forgetting how long the ref takes to set up a freekick within range of the goal and not allowing quick ones to be taken pisses me off. Give both sides a minute max to set up if they're not ready tough.

[Les-TA-Jon]

It’s so abusable. TBH, stuff your principles - it’s a results driven game - if I were a manager my keepers would be under instruction to go down injured every game, at key moments - and to try and get booked for time wasting. 
 

why wouldn’t you? 

[Tommy Fresh]

16 hours ago, OnlyOneCity said:

Stopping the clock when play is stopped would give a more accurate time addition. Also, throw ins are taking longer than the 8 seconds the keepers are allowed, so should also be checked and penalised. 4 minutes was an absolute joke . Who actually decides on this time?

Yeah the 8 second rule is stupid, when goal kicks,  throw ins, corners etc aren't timed

[Bert]

It was very frustrating seeing 4 minutes added in. Should’ve been at least 6 could’ve easily been more. Again we had a ref that gave them free kicks every time they were touched but our players had to get practically assaulted to be given anything. 

[moore_94]

Lino needs to go to specsavers