Webb calls on referees to follow strict new rules after Liverpool incident Howard Webb has called on referees to step up player penalties after a controversial moment was missed in Liverpool’s defeat to Tottenham. 23.11.2023 at 14:30 bookmark Alexis MacAllister was booked during Liverpool’s opening day draw with Chelsea Alexis Mac Allister is booked during Liverpool’s opening day draw with Chelsea (Image: Getty Images) Premier League referees are being asked to enforce the new rule following the recent Liverpool incident. According to The Times, the head of Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), Howard Webb, has called for tougher penalties for players brandishing imaginary yellow cards. This corresponds to a number of incidents in the Premier League where players were shown cards but not cautioned. One such incident occurred in September during a match between Tottenham and Liverpool. Tottenham defender Destiny Udogie pointed to a yellow card when he was already on a yellow card but was not booked. On the other hand, Liverpool’s Alexis Mac Allister was booked for waving his arms in an attempt to warn an opponent in the opening weekend clash with Chelsea. Webb emphasized the need for consistent enforcement of the policy throughout the season and throughout the years. He credited the success in reducing abuse by officials, noting that there have been zero mass confrontations this season, compared to eight at the same stage last season. As well as addressing the issue of players brandishing imaginary yellow cards, Webb also called for VAR (Video Assistant Referee) to take more responsibility and step in when soft penalties are clearly wrong. He gave the example of Newcastle getting a penalty on Fabian Schär for Hwang Hee-chan’s foul. Replays showed Hwang touched the ball first, causing controversy over the decision. Webb stated that VAR should only intervene in clear situations where there has been a clear error on the pitch. andquot;We have said from the beginning that VAR should not judge the game, but reserve itself for clear situations when there has been a clear error on the pitch and VAR intervenes to correct it,andquot; Webb said last week. andquot;VAR looks for clear evidence of error and considers various aspects. For example, did the defender play the ball? Are there contacts between the players? andquot;We will ask the VARs and continue our instructions to watch it to see where the debate is going and if they don’t like the decision on the pitch, ask the referee what they saw and if it is significantly different from what they did. saw is shown on the video, suggest a review so the judge can go to the screen and watch it again on his own.andquot; Liverpool.com says: Weand#039;re not quite sure why the referees need to be reminded that players need to be cautioned for brandishing an imaginary yellow card. This was made clear before the season started when Mac Allister messed up in the first game. But since then enforcement of the rule appears to have been hit hard and may have had a big impact on Liverpool’s controversial defeat against Tottenham. Udogie was already on a yellow card when he made the gesture and should have been sent off. Another reason why the Reds feel tough going into this game. — You may notice the message below in some Liverpool.com articles. We want to innovate and this is part of an experiment to see if AI can speed up the publishing process. We’ll always let you know where it’s happening. This article was created using artificial intelligence tools and is based on a piece written by Kieran King for the Mirror. You can read the original paragraph by clicking here. This content has been reviewed by Liverpool.com’s news editor prior to publication. You can report any errors to matt.addison@reachplc.com.
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