I mean, I’m not saying that there was any corruption or explicit instruction to give them a penalty, but even the minor thought that a certain club’s state-owners might pay me/hire me more often can be incredibly enticing.
I mean, I’m not saying that there was any corruption or explicit instruction to give them a penalty, but even the minor thought that a certain club’s state-owners might pay me/hire me more often can be incredibly enticing.
I can see why the penalty was awarded and I’m not up in arms over it, but dozens of those challenges happen per game.
Referees and the PGMOL need to be whiter than white. Even the slightest, smallest hint of corruption will call results and decisions into question. That absolutely cannot happen.
The fact that you, I and we can ask this question proves that people at the Premier League clubs can. And if they can, they can use said questions to pressure the referees in press releases, conferences and interviews to a larger degree than already happens.
We all remember Lampard and Klopp questioning how many penalties Man United were getting. This was designed to pressure referees. Imagine the top managers armed with the suspicion that a referee is employed by the owners of Man City. It’s not a good look.