Sunderland are back in action this week against West Brom, following Saturday’s game against Millwall. The EFL has confirmed that Bobby Madley will referee Sunderland’s Championship fixture with West Brom this Saturday at the Stadium of Light. The referee last refereed a Sunderland game in October, when the Black Cats traveled to Hull City for a league match. The game was controversial, with the Wearsiders winning 1-0 thanks to a remarkable solo strike by Wilson Isidor.
Tigers manager Tim Walter criticized referee Madley’s participation in Sunderland’s winning goal at Hull City in October, as well as claiming that Chris Mepham should have been sent off soon before halftime at the MKM Stadium. Isidor’s spectacular goal was the difference between the two teams in a close contest with few opportunities.
Following a Hull corner, the striker sprinted from his own half and chipped his shot over the goalkeeper. The hosts, on the other hand, were enraged by what they saw to be referee interference as they attempted to shorten the corner. Walter said the referee apologised to him after the game, but he also missed a red card when Mepham seemed to handle the ball to prevent a long ball from reaching Gustavo Puerta near the Sunderland goal. “Maybe you can interview the referee then it would be better,” Walter said you.
“For me, it’s very aggravating. He apologised for the circumstances, but it did not help. He’s not well prepared because I told him, ‘If you know how we play corner kicks and set pieces, you’ll notice that we play a lot of situations short. He claimed to be well prepared, but he was not, because I did it in my previous clubs as well, and we did it all the time. If you don’t locate the correct posture, you may not be well prepared, as I told him – and he said he couldn’t whistle.
“You can’t explain every scenario; sometimes you have to accept it, and it was as it is now. It wasn’t the only time I saw an obvious handball; in the first half, as well. He [Mepham] played the ball with his hand back to the keeper, which I consider a red card, but he viewed it differently. We have to accept it, but it feels like a never-ending story.” Madley’s refereeing staff for the match versus West Brom at the Stadium of Light will also include linesmen Blake Antrobus and Hristo Karaivanov, as well as fourth official Tom Nield.
Leave a Reply