- Manchester United without Harry Maguire vs Chelsea
- Defender banned by FA for ‘misconduct’
- Maguire alleged to have called official ‘a joke’
Harry Maguire will serve an additional one-match ban after the FA charged him with misconduct for his actions in Manchester United‘s 2-2 draw against Bournemouth. He was sent off for a foul on Junior Kroupi in the penalty box.
The English defender sat out United’s 2-1 loss to Leeds United on Monday night, but an unnecessarily lengthy process was required to determine whether he would face further punishment. The Reds waited to find out whether the 33-year-old would be available to face Chelsea this Saturday.
An announcement from the FA finally came on Wednesday and they confirmed that Maguire will indeed be suspended. It’s a massive headache for Michael Carrick who will likely also be without Lisandro Martinez after his sending off in the Leeds defeat.
‘You’re a Joke’
Paul Hirst of The Times provided details on the FA’s decision and Maguire’s comments. It’s alleged that he told the fourth official, “You’re a joke, you’re all a f*cking joke.”
Maguire is said to have admitted the charge but clarified that he didn’t use abusive language towards the fourth official, per Steven Railston. The club provided a witness statement from Joshua Zirkzee, and the Dutch attacker was confident his teammate didn’t call the official ‘a joke.’
But this is a joke, isn’t it? This is the PGMOL trying to save themselves from further ridicule and instead looking even more like a joke.
The funny thing is that, if his alleged comments were used, Maguire told the truth. The PGMOL have been a joke for years now and decisions like this only highlight the poor standard of officiating in this country.
Lisandro Martinez might have thought Paul Tierney was joking when he brandished a red card in Monday’s defeat to Leeds. The Argentine was sent off for apparently pulling Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s ponytail.
Any average football fan can see there is no malice or intention for Martinez to grab the English striker’s hair. He’s knocked off balance and is adjusting as he looks to head the ball.
One too many joke decisions
That’s not the only ridiculous decision made this season as other Premier League clubs are falling victim to the laughable refereeing. Take for example, Fulham’s Josh King being denied a first goal for the club because Rodrigo Muniz unintentionally trod on Trevoh Chalobah’s foot.
There needs to be a serious rethink at PGMOL because VAR is no longer the big issue; it’s the standard of officiating. If you ask any fan of any English top-flight club what they’d change about today’s game, one of the most popular responses would be the officials.
Maguire has also been forced to pay a £30k fine for his misconduct. The question is, when are we going to start punishing constant incorrect calls made by those with the whistle?
