EPL: Oh Ref, Give It a Second Look...

Over the past few weeks,or months should i say,referees have been quite partial against United.

Now,I'm not supporting United or being too critical of the referees either.But if you give it a second look,you will notice that United have been denied quite a few points in the title race.For example,yesterday's match against Chelsea is a good example of bad refereeing.Call it a close call or crowd pressure,Micheal Carrick's handball decision was a hard one.

It was clearly an unintentional foul and his hand too was not raised over his head or outstretched in anyway.It was definitely impossible for Carrick to get his hand out of the way(unless he dislocate it from his socket).

Moreover,he did not deprive Chelsea of a clear goal scoring oppurtunity,Rio Ferdinand was present just behind Carrick and could have provided cover.This supports the case that the penalty was a wrong decision.

In no way was the referee to be blamed in yesterday's case as he had absolutely no chance of calling it a penalty.The blame has to go on the linesman who hastily gave away a title affecting decision.He should have thought twice .

Another example of bad refereeing was in the FA Cup clash between Man United and Portsmouth.The 80th minute penalty was fair,but the sending off was too harsh.Maybe a yellow card would have sufficed since Anderson was standing on the line and Baros was not denied a clear goal scoring chance.Then again,maybe Baros would have scored,but the rule-book states that a red card can be given to a goalie only when he obstructs the striker from scoring what is a sure goal,which might not have been the case since Anderson was there on the goal line.

Having said that,the standard of refereeing has been dismal this season.I dont know whether it is coincidence or biasedness but refs give their worst decisions against United.In the game against Bolton at the Reebok Stadium,United were denied a few clear freekicks and handballs.

Even in the match against Blackburn,a few weeks back,Man United were denied a clear penalty when Ryan Nelsen rose to head the ball away and it hit his hand instead.Now,the penalty was a clear one as Nelsen was almost six feet in the air and in clear view of the referee.That penalty was also not given.

Even teams like Arsenal have had a hard time with the refs this season.A bad decision in the first leg of the quarterfinal of the Champions League saw them being denied what was a clear penalty.

Even though the referee was not a premier league official,I have decided to mention it as it was a bad decision.

It might be due to crowd pressure or media pressure,but the referees cannot get away with these blatant errors.The standard of refereeing has been absolutely dismal in what is being touted as the world's best football league.

Mark Clattenberg has been one of those referees who wilts under crowd pressure,he has consistently been giving bad decisions throughout the season.Such referees must be handled appropriately by the FA.

I am not blaming the referees completely here,they do tend to make mistakes under such immense pressure,but I think,that they must be taught to be calm under such situations and not give decisions in haste.

The Premier League might be the best league in the world now,but in matters of refereeing I think it is one of the worst in Europe this season.This season,somehow,the referees have been especially very harsh on Man United and their decisions have played a big part in the title race.

It maybe yesterday's decision against Carrick or the week before against Blackburn,but the referees have particularly harsh on United.