English Football Association charges David Moyes for misconduct
English Football Association has confirmed that they are charging Everton Coach David Moyes along with assistant manager Steve Round for their inappropriate behaviour after Everton’s 3-3 draw against Manchester United.
The match was played at Goodison Park on Saturday as both teams looked for the all important three points. The match was going well for Manchester United as they were winning till the last few minutes by 3-1. However, a last ditch onslaught by Moyes’ men saw them score twice within three minutes of injury time, securing one point for their team. Manchester United’s defenders were in a state of shock at that moment as they saw the match slipping through their hands in no time.
However, the match ended in controversy as match referee Martin Atkinson blew the final whistle when Everton was on a counter-attack, just outside the penalty area of Manchester United. Everton players only had the goal-keeper to beat for a winner when the whistle was blown. Everton did get their shot in the end when Phil Jagielka put his shot straight in the hands of Edwin van der Sar. However, it came after the referee’s whistle.
Everton’s boss David Moyes and his assistant Steve Round rushed onto the pitch and confronted Atkinson after the incident. Moyes was unfazed by the incident and gave the referee a piece of his mind in the post-match interview.
Moyes was furious about the incident and said, “The two goals were scored after 90 minutes and they'd put up three minutes of extra time. He didn't get his time right because there was more time to add on for the goals and he played three minutes 30 seconds”.
It is actually on the discretion of the field referee to add further extra-time after normal injury time finishes, depending on the situation. Therefore, if injuries occur during extra-time, or teams use their tactical substitutions or waste time by delaying the kicks, referees often add a few extra seconds to make up for lost time. Moyes indicated the same thing as he thought that the two goals meant more time was wasted than the 30 seconds awarded by Atkinson.
Moyes also suggested that football is about players and it is their stage to shine. Therefore, by creating such a controversy, the referee tried to gain the spotlight, which goes against the spirit of football. According to Moyes, this was not a good sight for the fans, as they came to see the players in action rather than the referee.
Normally, referees try to avoid blowing the final whistle when some team is in a commanding position. Therefore, they often wait for the teams to take their corner kicks or free kicks, and only blow the final whistle when the ball has been cleared from the danger zone. It is again a discretionary power of a referee but they are not bound to do so. Nevertheless, it has become a norm in football that the final whistle is blown only when the ball is out of danger. This was not the case against Manchester United as the match came to an end when Everton was looking dangerous, just outside the penalty area.
A goal could have been scored if the whistle had been delayed by just a few seconds. Moyes believed that this was against the spirit of football.
Nevertheless, the Football Association has found Everton officials guilty of misconduct and they have been charged. Both of them would be heard by a regulatory commission, after which necessary punishments would be awarded to them if they are found guilty. In the meantime, Moyes should rejoice with one point from the match, which looked unlikely for one and half hour of normal time, before extra minutes were played.
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