Premier League in discussions regarding disgraceful referee

AFC Bournemouth and the Premier League are having an ongoing dialogue regarding a complaint about referee Jon Moss. The alleged comments were made during the Cherries 2-1 defeat to Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Sunday 9th February.

The unusual step, that PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited), the professional organisation of match officials for the Premier League, have refused to comment on, came after Cherries midfielder Dan Gosling opted to speak out about comments the referee made during the match.

Gosling has stated that referee Jon Moss made sarcastic comments regarding AFC Bournemouth performance during the match and their current plight at the foot of the table in the top flight of English football.

AFC Bournemouth midfielder Dan Gosling told the Daily Echo…

“…little comments to two or three of the lads didn’t help as well really…

“…It was just the little niggly ones and then the little sarky comments.

“The officials talk about respect at the start of the season and there was zero respect from Jon Moss on Sunday.

“I thought he was a disgrace. The comments that he made especially to me and one other player – talking about the relegation zone and ‘you’re still in the relegation zone’, ‘you’re having one’, ‘your team’s having one’ this and that and it was very, very disrespectful…”

“…I think he should really come out and apologise because I thought he was a disgrace.”

In All Departments wrote…

This is quite a story… groundbreaking even and put into the public domain when we’re generally pretty quiet and outwardly tolerant of referees. It has authenticity in its “you wouldn’t make it up” feel.

My guess is that this is an attempt by the club to make a point to the PGMOL following a season when the referees have quite clearly had a predisposed view of our perceived diving and Lerma’s perceived “enforcer” role when others seem to continue with impunity, last week’s Grealish show being a prime example and, say, gentlemen Mark Noble’s blatant dive at West Ham.

Of course, you can’t accuse them of a viewpoint so when someone as stupid as Moss actually says something you do have something with which to at least make a case.

Obviously it’s still impossible to prove and will be refuted but it will attract publicity and hasn’t got out by accident. It might enable the club to raise some of the wider issues privately and to push an envelope to the PGMOL before the run-in to the season.

Coobster added…

If true, and there’s no real reason for Gosso to lie, then it does make you question some of the other refereeing performances we’ve had.

A couple of things about ref’s at this level. They’re all professionals, so don’t have a day job. There should, therefore, be a minimum fitness requirement and weight – height (so BMI?) value that they should need to adhere to. They’re also paid very well compared to a ‘normal’ salary and so that should be something they need to keep to, to keep this salary.

Secondly, why don’t we import refs from around the world? Then we wouldn’t have these sub-standard (or not quite so bad) refs. Pay them a bit more – I mean the Premier League can afford it, as they will need to move country etc.

Think of the leagues such as the Swiss, Norwegian, Australian A-League (isn’t one of their old refs in the Championship now??) etc, they must have some stand out refs that would love the chance to better their game and their salary over here. – Join the conversation, click here.