The standards of some Premier League referees were “bordering on appalling” during matches over the busy festive period, according to former Fifa referee Keith Hackett, who has named five referees he claims should be dropped.
The organisation that controls the referees, Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) has rejected Hackett’s claims, saying standards had risen since he stepped down as head in 2010.
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Hackett, who refereed matches in the European Championship and Olympic Games in 1988, said on his blog “You Are The Ref” he counted “over 20 major errors” during the Christmas period.
He cited the “stupid” red card shown to Swansea City’s Wayne Routledge at Queens Park Rangers by Anthony Taylor on New Year’s Day and which has since been overturned, as being of particular concern.
“I see standards falling,” he said. “Over the Christmas period, it reached standards that were bordering on appalling.
“There was a pretty poor performance from Andre Marriner in the Manchester City v Everton game (on December 6). First of all, the failure to spot a challenge that resulted in Sergio Aguero having to go off, then a non-penalty decision.
“I was with a group of Fifa referees from Nigeria who watched with amazement. Do you think I took joy in that?”
Marriner is one of the five referees identified by Hackett who should no longer officiate Premier League matches after the end of this season.
He also named Mike Jones, Lee Mason, Chris Foy and Lee Probert, who refereed last season’s FA Cup final, adding that his successor as the head of PGMOL, Mike Riley, should be replaced.
“You can’t live on your reputation,” Hackett said of the referees.
However, PGMOL countered that the accuracy of decision-making by referees in the Premier League was currently at an all-time high.
Their figures say accuracy on major decisions was up to 95 per cent from 94.1 per cent, accuracy on decisions in the penalty box stood at 98 per cent, and offsides were now 99 per cent accurate, compared to 92 per cent when Hackett left PGMOL.
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UAE SQUAD
Jemma Eley, Maria Michailidou, Molly Fuller, Chloe Andrews (of Dubai College), Eliza Petricola, Holly Guerin, Yasmin Craig, Caitlin Gowdy (Dubai English Speaking College), Claire Janssen, Cristiana Morall (Jumeirah English Speaking School), Tessa Mies (Jebel Ali School), Mila Morgan (Cranleigh Abu Dhabi).
Last 10 NBA champions
2017: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-1
2016: Cleveland bt Golden State 4-3
2015: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-2
2014: San Antonio bt Miami 4-1
2013: Miami bt San Antonio 4-3
2012: Miami bt Oklahoma City 4-1
2011: Dallas bt Miami 4-2
2010: Los Angeles Lakers bt Boston 4-3
2009: Los Angeles Lakers bt Orlando 4-1
2008: Boston bt Los Angeles Lakers 4-2
The biog
Fast facts on Neil Armstrong’s personal life:
- Armstrong was born on August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio
- He earned his private pilot’s license when he was 16 – he could fly before he could drive
- There was tragedy in his married life: Neil and Janet Armstrong’s daughter Karen died at the age of two in 1962 after suffering a brain tumour. She was the couple’s only daughter. Their two sons, Rick and Mark, consulted on the film
- After Armstrong departed Nasa, he bought a farm in the town of Lebanon, Ohio, in 1971 – its airstrip allowed him to tap back into his love of flying
- In 1994, Janet divorced Neil after 38 years of marriage. Two years earlier, Neil met Carol Knight, who became his second wife in 1994
RESULTS
1.45pm: Green Oasis Trading – Maiden (PA) Dh50,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner: Meeqat, Saif Al Balushi (jockey), Khalifa Al Neyadi (trainer)
2.15pm: Al Shafar Investment – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Flying Hunter, Ray Dawson, Ahmad bin Harmash
2.45pm: The Union 51 Cup – Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Ibra Attack, Adrie de Vries, Ahmed Al Shemaili
3.15pm: ASCANA Thakaful – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Onda Ruggente, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
3.45pm: Commercial Bank of Dubai – Handicap (TB) Dh76,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Dignity Joy, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
4.15pm: Dubai Real Estate Centre – Handicap (TB) Dh76,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Tolmount, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer
4.45pm: Jebel Ali Racecourse – Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,950m
Winner: Rakeez, Tadhg O’Shea, Bhupat Seemar
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
Ipaf in numbers
Established: 2008
Prize money: $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.
Winning novels: 13
Shortlisted novels: 66
Longlisted novels: 111
Total number of novels submitted: 1,780
Novels translated internationally: 66
Torbal Rayeh Wa Jayeh
Starring: Ali El Ghoureir, Khalil El Roumeithy, Mostafa Abo Seria
Stars: 3
INDIA SQUADS
India squad for third Test against Sri Lanka
Virat Kohli (capt), Murali Vijay, Lokesh Rahul, Shikhar Dhawan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rohit Sharma, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Vijay Shankar
India squad for ODI series against Sri Lanka
Rohit Sharma (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
Match statistics
Dubai Sports City Eagles 8 Dubai Exiles 85
Eagles
Try: Bailey
Pen: Carey
Exiles
Tries: Botes 3, Sackmann 2, Fourie 2, Penalty, Walsh, Gairn, Crossley, Stubbs
Cons: Gerber 7
Pens: Gerber 3
Man of the match: Tomas Sackmann (Exiles)
