Ruben Dias should have been sent off after receiving a second yellow card in Manchester City’s win over Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, the PGMO has admitted.
PGMO officials accepted Dias’ challenge on Forest’s Igor Jesus, which deserved another yellow card 18 seconds into the second half as the Manchester City defender had already been booked for dissent earlier in the half.
However, the rules state that VAR cannot intervene in the event of a yellow card, and in City’s 2-1 win at the City Ground on December 27, the referee made it clear that this was a subjective decision by the on-field referee.
Forest complained to the referees after the match and asked for an explanation. Sky Sports News said club representatives met with PGMO officials on Monday to analyze the decision not to send off City’s vice-captain, as well as a number of other controversial calls from referee Rob Jones and match officials.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Watch for free: Premier League highlights from Nottingham Forest vs. Manchester City
However, Forest manager accepted that Rayan Cherki’s goal was a legitimate goal in this match. Despite coach Sean Dyche being very enthusiastic after the match and stating that the goal should have been ruled out as he felt Morgan Gibbs-White had been fouled just before Cherki’s shot.
Despite the Reds initially feeling that Nico O’Reilly had dragged his England teammate to the ground and failed to block Cherki’s shot, Forest officials confirmed there was no foul on Gibbs-White in the build-up to City’s winner.
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Nottingham Forest head coach Sean Dyche has explained why he felt the need to criticize some refereeing decisions after the 2-1 defeat to Manchester City.
Dyche and the Forest managers felt strongly that the result could have been different had Dias been sent off with 45 minutes left in the game.
However, Sky Sports News reports that Forest reportedly felt the meeting was positive and productive, with the East Midlands club privately expressing its gratitude to match officials for how proactively and openly they dealt with complaints.
