In Behind the Whistle, former Premier League referee Chris Foy goes through a selection of key match decisions from the latest action in the Sky Bet Championship, League One and League Two.
Behind the Whistle aims to provide supporters of EFL clubs with decision-making considerations as well as clarifying specific calls to provide an understanding of the laws of the game.
As part of his regular feature on Sky Sports after the conclusion of a matchday, Foy takes you through some of the refereeing issues in the EFL…
Burnley 1-1 Blackburn Rovers
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Blackburn’s Makhtar Gueye received a second yellow card for signaling that Burnley’s Maxime Esteve should be booked by the referee.
Occurrence: Possible second yellow card (Blackburn Rovers)
Decision: second yellow card issued (Blackburn Rovers)
Foy said: “Ahead of the current season, it was reiterated to the club that clearly flagging a yellow card to show it to an opposition player would be considered unsporting behavior and the player making the move would receive a yellow card.
“After Blackburn Rovers’ No 9 was fouled, he clearly signaled to the referee that Burnley’s No 5 should be shown a yellow card, then repeated this action several times.
“Since he has already received a yellow card, the referee has no choice here but to produce a second yellow card and a subsequent red card.”
Millwall 3-0 Sheffield Wednesday
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Was Josh Coburn offside when he scored Millwall’s opener against Sheffield Wednesday in a 3-0 win
Occurrence: Goal scored, possibly offside (Millwall)
Decision: Goal awarded, not offside (Millwall)
Foy said: “The assistant referee’s decision to keep the flag here is excellent.
“With a quick attack towards the penalty area, when the ball was played to the right of Millwall’s number 19, it seemed that Millwall’s number 21 might be offside when he came to the back post to touch the ball home, especially with the quick-change image.
“But replays from the touchline showed the assistant referee made a good decision to keep the flag down, as Millwall’s 21st ran perfectly and the goal was duly awarded.”
Mansfield Town 1-1 Stockport County
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Mansfield’s Lucas Akins was disallowed against Stockport as he was adjudged to have grabbed Ibou Touray’s shirt causing the defender to fall to the ground, but was it the right decision to disallow the goal?
Occurrence: Goal scored, fouled (Mansfield Town)
Decision: Goal disallowed, fouled (Mansfield Town)
Foy said: “This disallowed goal is a good example of clear and impactful action detection.
“When the ball was played into the penalty area, Mansfield Town’s number 7 grabbed Stockport County’s number 3’s shirt, causing him to fall to the ground, which obviously affected his ability to defend.
“Although there was some contact between the players as the ball crossed, the Mansfield No 7’s action was deemed off-foot. The referee recognized this and awarded a defensive free kick to Stockport County.”
AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Fleetwood Town
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Should AFC Wimbledon’s goal against Fleetwood Town have stood or was there an error in the build?
Occurrence: Goal scored, fouled (AFC Wimbledon)
Decision: Goal awarded, no foul (AFC Wimbledon)
Foy said: “As we saw in the clip at Mansfield vs Stockport, the defensive free kick awarded when the action was held clearly had an impact and met the threshold for a foul.
“The same action must be taken here, not for the catch, but for the Wimbledon number 39 who leaps at the opponent, and makes late and careless contact.
“The challenge was careless, and clearly impacted the Fleetwood Town defender who fell to the ground. Therefore, a free kick should be awarded.”
