Leeds United aren’t the only team who have been annoyed by officials in recent matches.
Huddersfield Town manager Andre Breitenreiter has pushed the Championship to use VAR technology following a contentious late penalty concession over the weekend, just days after Daniel Farke acknowledged to receiving many letters apologizing for officiating errors.
On Saturday, Huddersfield appeared to be on track for a critical three points in the relegation race until Nahki Wells rescued a draw for Bristol with a thrilling 99th-minute penalty. Referee Rebecca Welch ruled that Olli Turnton handballed in the box while blocking a cross, with replays revealing an extremely severe decision against the Terriers.
It was the latest of several contentious rulings in the Championship last week, all of which had a significant impact on both the top and bottom of the league. Leeds United were denied a clear penalty in the week’s 0-0 draw with Sunderland, while West Brom was awarded a penalty in their win against Rotherham despite Lee Peltier handling comfortably outside the box.
“I disagree with the penalty decision, but the boys played really well; now they’re crying in the dressing room because they don’t understand why they didn’t win, which is frustrating,” Breitenreiter said of the decision against Huddersfield. “We spoke with the referee a few minutes ago, and she has yet to see the post-game replay.
“I warned her that she had to be absolutely correct to call a penalty in the last minute. You definitely need VAR in the Championship. We usually have arguments in the Premier League about how long it takes, but we want fair choices, and today was unfair for the boys, and they don’t understand.”
Leeds have been on the receiving end of some controversial refereeing decisions in a week in which they have only one point from two successive home games against Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers. The former was particularly frustrating, with officials missing a clear handball by Luke O’Nien while only three minutes remained despite all ten substitutes and the opponents’ numerous time-wasting tactics.
“We’ve received six letters this season apologising and claiming it was a penalty or a red card,” Farke admitted following the Sunderland draw. “We’ll probably receive two more letters right now. It won’t assist us because the outcome doesn’t seem fair.
“If we had received two penalties, it appeared that we could have used at least one to win the game. It doesn’t make sense. In general, I never ask for red cards; rather, I say, “Come on, act a little earlier with yellow cards.” If you do not do this, you are sending the word, ‘OK, keep going’.”
Farke was upset again on Saturday as Blackburn’s time-wasting went virtually unchecked, with goalkeeper Aynsley Pears taking an age with each goal kick before being booked in the 85th minute. There were also frequent set-piece delays in the first half, with only one minute of added time perplexing Farke and everyone at Elland Road.
