Man Utd Penalty Decisions Explained by Refereeing Chief

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMO) chief refereeing officer, Howard Webb, has shed light on the penalty decisions that went against Manchester United during their match against Bournemouth. According to Webb, the key factor in these decisions was the speed at which the attackers were moving. In the case of Manchester United's Amad Diallo, who had a penalty appeal dismissed, Webb noted that the player was not moving at a particularly high speed, which made the contact with the opponent less impactful. On the other hand, when Bournemouth's Evanilson was fouled by Harry Maguire, resulting in a penalty, Webb stated that Evanilson was moving at a much faster pace, making Maguire's actions more cynical and deserving of a penalty. Webb emphasized that the referee's decision is crucial in such situations, and the VAR will only intervene if the call is clearly and obviously wrong. Manchester United's head coach, Michael Carrick, expressed his frustration and confusion over the inconsistent penalty decisions, stating that the situations were almost identical and that it was 'crazy' and 'baffling' not to award both penalties.