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      Fans left horrified at ‘worst decision of the football season’ as Championship club beaten after controversial penalty

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      FOOTBALL fans were left aghast after seeing the “worst decision of the season” in the Championship last night.Promotion chasing West Brom were up against already-relegated Rotherham at the Hawthorns, with the hosts running out 2-0 winners.If you haven’t seen it, check this out, from the West Brom game.It hits the player’s head, twenty yards from goal. Decision: handball. Penalty. PL fans moan about VAR and rightly so a lot of the time…but they might even have got this one right.pic.twitter.com/PwxXUObZFn— The Football Tavern (@TavernFootball) April 10, 2024

      West Brom’s Thomas-Asante struck a shot from distance that hit the head of Rotherham’s Lee PeltierCredit: EFLThe referee awarded West Brom a penalty despite the ball hitting Peltier outside of the boxCredit: EFLRotherham stars argued their case with Geoff EltringhamCredit: RexBut he struck to the controversial decisionCredit: RexHowever, they were given a mighty helping hand by a shocking decision from referee Geoff Eltringham to award a penalty when the ball struck a Rotheram defender outside of the box.Carlos Corberan’s side were already leading through a Brandon Thomas-Asante strike after 23 minutes.But just before half-time, Thomas-Asante fired a shot towards goal from distance.His effort was closed down by Lee Peltier who rushed out to the edge of the D to meet the shot, with the ball hitting his face while his arms were raised in the process of making the block.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLWest Brom players cheekily appealed for a handball, with ref Eltringham incredibly pointing to the spot – despite it not being a handball AND occurring outside the penalty area. The Millers were left stunned by the call and remonstrated with the referee and officials, leading to assistant coach Rob Kelly being booked for his protests.John Swift made no mistake from 12 yards to double the Baggies’ lead.Rotherham manager Leam Richardson slammed the officials for the decision but stopped short of questioning their integrity.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSHe said: “It’s three yards outside the box and it hits him in the face. I’ve not seen that before. It was a wrong decision, and a poor one in my opinion.“I never question anyone’s integrity but I can’t explain that decision. You can’t get those decisions wrong. Biggest football kit fails after controversy over new England shirt”The assistant was maybe 10 yards away looking down the line of it.“Then my assistant manager, Rob Kelly, gets booked for telling the ref: ‘The linesman can help’.“It changed the outcome of the game. You should have a consistency of professionalism regardless.“We’ve had a number of similar decisions and apology letters. But I have no interest in that.”Fans were equally disgusted by the decision, with one fan saying: “Worst decision of the football season.”A second said: “How on Earth is that a pen ahahahaha.”A third said: “Wow. If anyone gets the chance to see the award of the West Brom penalty tonight… Rotherham lad handball’s it three yards outside the box and the ref gives a penalty. Unreal.”Another said: “That West Brom penalty decision. Come on Specsavers help out these referees,” with Specsavers also cheekily replying: “Thanks for bringing this to our attention.”A fifth added: “People who moan about VAR are quick to forget the terrible decisions without it.”READ MORE SUN STORIESThe win saw West Brom strengthen their position in the playoffs, now holding a nine point gap to seventh place Coventry. Meanwhile, Rotheram racked up their 27th defeat of the league season.John Swift made no mistake from the spotCredit: PARotherham boss Leam Richardson slammed the decisionCredit: PA More

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      I almost had my leg snapped in two playing football – but referee brushed it off and gave a DROP BALL

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      A FOOTBALLER has blasted referees after claiming he was lucky not to break his leg when suffering a shocking injury and seeing only a DROP BALL given.Tom Beere demanded a “serious discussion” on match officials as Cray Wanderers posted a photo of their sub’s gruesome gashes after he hobbled off following a fierce challenge at seventh-tier rivals Hornchurch.Leg-injury victim Tom Beere was angry at the ref’s responseSome fans who saw a clip of a home player catching the midfielder reckoned it was a freak follow-through collision rather than a foul.But Beere hit out on X: “We need a serious discussion about referees… if my leg was planted it would’ve been in 2 pieces but let’s all stick up for refs they got such a hard job.”He was responding to a post from his own club Cray, who shared a photo of the injuries and added: “Ref said ‘He caught him on the ankle’ and then gave a drop ball.”Some viewers reckon Beere’s cuts against the newly-crowned Isthmian League Premier Division champions would have been less severe had he worn traditional big shinpads.READ MORE TOP STORIESBut the ex-AFC Wimbledon youngster rejected that argument, saying the “only pad that’s stopping that is a cricket pad”.However, one football supporter posted a video – reportedly of the incident – that divided opinion amongst viewers.He wrote on X: “Seen some bad tackles and bad refereeing on here lately but this isn’t either of those surely … “Another fan responded: “That’s a great challenge and notice how nobody complains about it.”Most read in FootballA third observer argued: “Looks ok, wouldn’t say it was a great tackle though.”And a fourth commented: “Normal Jack Grealish leg after every match.”Spine-chilling footage shows ‘GHOST’ running through stands at football match as fans fear curse on their clubBeere then took on fans online who backed ref Elliott Mayer’s decision over the challenge.And asked if he would be a match official himself, the 29-year-old replied: “Wouldn’t want to be because I can play football.”Beere later clarified he was more annoyed by “the referee reaction after and being arrogant and in denial to me and coaching stuff”.One fan fired back at him: “Referees make mistakes and miss things or don’t act accordingly to a situation , possibly like you as a player ? Do you win every header ? Every tackle ? Take every chance in front of goal?”But he insisted: “We as players acknowledge our mistakes the refs don’t, their arrogance is crazy.”Ironically, Hornchurch’s 2-0 win had begun on a far more harmonious note – as Cray gave them a guard of honour for having already clinched the title.Some fans incredibly told Beere to wear ‘bigger shinpads’ More

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      Crucial moment VAR ‘guessed’ during Premiership match – as another side blast system as ‘unsuitable for purpose’

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      ABERDEEN have branded Scottish football’s version of VAR as “unsuitable for purpose”.Dons chiefs claim the SFA admitted officials “effectively guessed” that Angus MacDonald was offside when Bojan Miovski’s goal was ruled out in Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Livingston.Ref Graham Grainger eventually ruled out the goalAberdeen’s goal was ruled offsideIt has emerged that the Hawkeye system failed at the Tony Macaroni – meaning calibrated lines were unavailable.VAR officials Matthew MacDermid and Jonathan Bell used a still image to make the call instead – which the SFA now admit was inconclusive.But SunSport understands the SFA were able to review the incident after the game and TWO Aberdeen players were offside.Ref Graham Grainger had awarded the Miovski goal and Aberdeen claim it was incorrectly ruled out – as they joined Motherwell in demanding VAR change.The statement said: “What this situation demonstrates, in our opinion, is that the version of VAR that Scottish football has, or more accurately, can afford, is not suitable for the purpose in which it is intended.“It perfectly highlights the limitations in the technology, the inappropriate implementation, the consistency of decision-making, and the negative impact on the overall experience for the match-going supporter.“This is, of course, not an issue that we believe is in any way exclusive to Aberdeen.“We are not being partisan because we believe a decision, or at least a process, has not been at all effective at the weekend.Most read in Football“We acknowledge there have been occasions where we ourselves have been fortunate to have benefitted from some of the observations and limitations raised.“The Scottish FA, with the help of the SPFL (via the Competitions Working Group), have an on-going review of the use of Video Assistant Referees within Scottish football.Thierry Henry and Jamie Carragher namecheck Aberdeen in greatest ever debate“Aberdeen FC is committed to playing an active role in those discussions and will work with all stakeholders to try and improve the output because, at the moment, we do not believe VARs presence is enhancing the game in this country.”The SFA gave Aberdeen audio and transcripts of the officials’ conversations when Miovski’s goal was disallowed.And the Dons also provided fans with a detailed account of what happened.The statement said: “The Hawkeye system failed in the lead up to the goal. so the VARs were unable to rely on any reliable calibrated lines to determine, with the normal degree of certainty, whether Angus MacDonald was offside or otherwise.“The Scottish FA have confirmed to us that they have already launched an investigation into why this failure happened and put their officials into a difficult position.“The VARs then used a freeze frame to determine whether they thought Angus MacDonald was in an offside position when the free kick was taken by Leighton Clarkson.“The ability for the VARs to do this is contained within the VAR protocols.“The Scottish FA accepted there is no conceivable way the VAR could tell definitively the deepest position of Livingston midfielder Daniel MacKay’s body, because from the only angle available – the 18-yard box camera on the main stand side – the lower half of MacKay’s body is completely obscured from view, blocked by other players.“Even if his full body was visible, it’s impossible to determine who was closest to the goal line with no on-pitch ‘markers’.“Therefore, it was acknowledged by all in attendance at the meeting that the VARs had to effectively guess on what that position might have been based on the limited information available to them.“That was the basis on which to overrule the on-field call of the assistant referee, who did not raise his flag.“It is our strong belief that in such an instance, and for the integrity of the game, the match officials should stick with their original on-field decision without the strength of evidence to overturn that and essentially re-referee the passage of play.“This course of action was chosen ahead of asking the referee, himself, to look at the freeze frame and make a determination, which is permitted under the protocols when it’s a matter of opinion rather than factual.Here’s the recalibrated image“Or more appropriately, in absence of a definitive outcome from the camera, sticking with the on-field decision, and giving the benefit of the doubt.”The SFA said in a statement: “The Scottish FA has today received a report from Hawkeye on the incident that occurred at Livingston’s match against Aberdeen, which confirmed that the Broadcast 18-Yard Left Camera suffered a loss of calibration and ceased line tracking on the relevant video frame.”During the review, Hawkeye were able to reprocess the data through their system and draw the calibrated offside lines from the disallowed goal, which showed Angus MacDonald to be in an offside position.READ MORE SUN STORIES”The VAR made the decision using the technology that was available and this decision was validated by Hawkeye’s retrospective recalibration conducted as part of their review.”Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page More

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      Footage emerges of ‘crazy’ moment Arsenal should have conceded pen vs Bayern but ref refused to punish ‘kids’ mistake’

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      ARSENAL should have conceded a second penalty against Bayern Munich after the referee “admitted” to seeing a clear handball in the box.Boss Thomas Tuchel was left frustrated after claiming that whistler Glenn Nyberg admitted to seeing the bizarre incident.According to Thomas Tuchel, the referee admitted he 𝐒𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐇𝐀𝐕𝐄 awarded Bayern Munich a penalty for this incident with Gabriel 👀🎙 @julesbreach pic.twitter.com/nR2ENVASm2— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) April 9, 2024

      David Raya took a goal-kick shortCredit: XGabriel bizarrely picked the ball upCredit: XThomas Tuchel could not believe his side were not awarded a penaltyCredit: EPATuchel appealed to the officials after witnessing the incidentCredit: GettyDuring the second-half, goalkeeper David Raya took a goal-kick short to Gabriel.Bafflingly, the Brazilian opted to pick the ball up to take the goal-kick again.Harry Kane immediately appealed to Nyberg, who was taking charge of his first Champions League knockout game, but the 35-year-old refused to give a spot-kick.After the game, Tuchel told TNT Sports: “The referee did not have the courage today to give us a deserved penalty, in a bit of a crazy and awkward situation.READ MORE ON ARSENAL”He admitted on the pitch that he saw the situation and that in a quarter-final it’s not enough for him to give a penalty for a kids’ mistake.”So he admitted that he knows about the mistake the player made. That is a bit frustrating.”In his post-match press conference, Tuchel, 50, later added: “I felt a lot of little decisions go against us… and a huge mistake in not giving us a penalty.”What makes us really angry is the explanation on the pitch. He said it’s a kid’s mistake and isn’t giving a penalty for that.Most read in Champions LeagueTuchel appealed to the fourth officialCredit: GettyReferee Glenn Nyberg had a difficult eveningCredit: PA”That means he’s judging handballs.”After seeing footage of the incident, TNT Sports pundit Rio Ferdinand was left in disbelief.Raging Bukayo Saka pushed away from referee after Arsenal are denied last-minute penalty against Bayern Munich The former Manchester United star had been convinced that Arsenal should have had a penalty in the last minute when Bukayo Saka collided with Manuel Neuer in the box.But he was left even more incredulous after seeing footage of Bayern’s penalty shout.He said: “It’s a pen. Oh my gosh, how can that not be given?”I was so adamant that the Saka one was… I’m even more for this, it’s unbelievable!”How can he blow the whistle like that and not give it?”‘INDEFENSIBLE’Ferdinand, 45, then asked former Arsenal defender Martin Keown to try to defend the decision.But Keown, 57, replied: “You can’t defend the indefensible. The referee is maybe a little out of his depth.”Because we thought he had a decent game, but there’s key moments of the game, both you can look at and say they should have had a penalty.”Why would he pick it up? It HAS to be a penalty, says HalseyBy Mark Halsey
      Arsenal could have absolutely no complaints if a penalty was awarded to Bayern Munich.
      The referee signalled for David Raya to take the goal kick.
      He did… and Gabriel picked the ball up. Why would he do that? The whistle had been blown.
      The only person who has made a mistake is Gabriel. Why would he pick the ball up?
      Once the referee has blown his whistle and Gabriel has picked it up, he has to give a penalty.

      Bayern were also unfortunate not to be awarded a penalty for a further incident, when Kane was wrestled to the ground by Martin Odegaard as a corner was whipped in.Arsenal had gotten their first Champions League quarter-final since 2010 off to a perfect start, when Saka fired them into the lead in the 12th minute.They were quickly pegged back, however, when former Gunner Serge Gnabry profited on a defensive mix-up to level just six minutes later.Kane came back to haunt Arsenal just after the half-hour mark, converting the penalty that Bayern did get.Mikel Arteta threw on super-sub Leandro Trossard, and the Belgian was able to rescue the situation by levelling in the 76th minute.After the match, Arteta refused to be drawn on his side’s late penalty appeal.READ MORE SUN STORIESHe said: “(The referee) didn’t say anything. They said they checked it and they decided it wasn’t a penalty.”The two sides will meet again in Germany next Wednesday with the tie hanging in the balance.Surprised it wasn’t a penalty, says HalseyBy Mark Halsey
      SOME will say that Bukayo Saka initiated the contact, but Manuel Neuer stuck out his leg.
      I was surprised Glenn Nyberg did not award Arsenal a penalty in real time at the end.
      Bayern Munich could have no complaints if it was given, they got away with one.
      Munich were very lucky.
      It is subjective, so maybe that is why VAR did not get involved.
      Had it been given, the decision would not have changed. More

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      Watch as raging Bukayo Saka is pushed away from referee after Arsenal are denied last-minute penalty against Bayern

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      BUKAYO SAKA had to be pushed away from the referee after he was denied a last-gasp penalty against Bayern Munich.The Arsenal star found himself through on goal in the 96th minute of the Champions League quarter-final first leg clash.Bukayo Saka was brought down by Manuel NeuerCredit: AlamyThe Arsenal star fell to the floor but no penalty was givenCredit: GettyAfter the game, Saka confronted the referee angrilyCredit: TNT SPORTSHe had to be pushed away by Arsenal’s assistant coachCredit: TNT SPORTSWith the score 2-2, Saka collided with Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer’s outstretched leg in the box.The winger immediately fell to the floor – but referee Glenn Nyberg, clearly believing Saka initiated the contact, waved away the penalty claim to Arsenal’s fury.After he blew the final whistle, Saka got back to his feet and confronted the ref.The winger ran up to the Swedish official to complain and he pointed to his leg that made contact with Neuer.READ MORE ON ARSENALGunners assistant boss Albert Stuivenberg was quickly on the scene and pushed Saka away, who then waved his arms around in frustration.TNT Sports commentator Ally McCoist said: “He genuinely feels it’s a penalty. I thought he definitely got there first, but I think there is an element of him throwing his right leg into him a little bit.”Rio Ferdinand disagreed as he ranted: “That is a penalty. I can’t believe it. I’m in the stadium walking around in disbelief with my hands on my head. How has that not been given?”The pundit added that he felt the referee should’ve been called over to the VAR monitor to double check his decision for himself.Most read in Champions LeagueMartin Keown raged: “If you had ten top refs here tonight, nine of them would’ve given it. This referee would be the only one to not give it. I find it quite alarming.”Arsenal fan and Sun columnist Piers Morgan fumed on Twitter: “That is a penalty. End.”Arsenal fans trolled over ‘terrifying hostility’ as video of Harry Kane and Eric Dier arriving at Emirates emerges Surprised it wasn’t a penalty, says HalseyBy Mark Halsey

      SOME will say that Bukayo Saka initiated the contact, but Manuel Neuer stuck out his leg.
      I was surprised Glenn Nyberg did not award Arsenal a penalty in real time at the end.
      Bayern Munich could have no complaints if it was given, they got away with one.
      Munich were very lucky.
      It is subjective, so maybe that is why VAR did not get involved.
      Had it been given, the decision would not have changed.

      But Gunners hero Ian Wright thought the ref made the right call, tweeting: “Not a pen for me. Work to do in Munich.”Harry Kane shared his thoughts post-match, saying: “It’s 50/50. If he was on my team, I would have said it’s a penalty.”On the decision, Mikel Arteta bluntly confirmed after the game that VAR looked and decided it was not a spot-kick.Fans were left split over the controversy, with one saying: “It’s a disgrace.”Another added: “I don’t care if Saka leaves his leg a bit you can literally see Neuer’s leg lunge.”Others felt differently, saying: “This is 100 per cent not a penalty, there is zero intent to trip by Neuer and Saka is sticking his leg out.”More reacted: “All things considered, Saka should probably have kicked the ball into the net instead of deciding to kick Neuer in the shins.”Meanwhile, Thomas Tuchel was also left angry at the referee after his side were denied a penalty in the 67th minute.Gabriel picked up the ball after David Raya took a goal-kick, seemingly thinking the game was not in play despite the whistle being blown.On the handball, Tuchel said: “The referee made a huge mistake. I know it was a crazy situation. They put the ball down, he whistles and the defender takes the ball with his hands. “What makes us really angry is the explanation on the pitch. He told our players it was a ‘kid’s mistake’ and he won’t give a penalty for that in a Champions League quarter-final. “It’s a horrible, horrible explanation. “Kid’s mistake, adult’s mistake, whatever – we feel angry because it was a huge decision against us.”After seeing a replay of the incident Tuchel was talking about, Ferdinand added: “It’s a pen. Oh my gosh, how can that not be given?”I was so adamant that the Saka one was… I’m even more for this, it’s unbelievable.READ MORE SUN STORIES”How can he blow the whistle like that and not give it?”Gabriel touched the ball with his hand while it was in playCredit: TNT SPORTSWhy would he pick it up? It HAS to be a penalty, says HalseyBy Mark Halsey

      Arsenal could have absolutely no complaints if a penalty was awarded to Bayern Munich.
      The referee signalled for David Raya to take the goal kick.
      He did… and Gabriel picked the ball up. Why would he do that? The whistle had been blown.
      The only person who has made a mistake is Gabriel. Why would he pick the ball up?
      Once the referee has blown his whistle and Gabriel has picked it up, he has to give a penalty. More

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      Referee hailed for ‘touch of class’ as he stops Leeds vs Hull clash on Sky Sports to applaud in emotional scenes

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      FOOTBALL fans have hailed referee Josh Smith for temporarily stopping Leeds United vs Hull City on Monday night.The Championship clash was brought to a halt in the 25th minute as both teams joined fans and coaching staff in a moment of applause.Referee Josh Smith has been praised for temporarily stopping Leeds vs HullCredit: SKY SPORTSPlayers were applauding alongside Smith who had stopped the game to allow for everyone to take a moment to remember two Leeds fans who lost their livesCredit: SKY SPORTSFans faced towards a touching banner and applaudedCredit: skY sportsReferee Smith appeared to put a pause on the game so that attention could be brought to the applause that was taking place inside Elland Road.Leeds United supporters were clapping to remember the tragic deaths of Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight in 2000.The pair sadly lost their lives in Istanbul while following Leeds after they were stabbed ahead of the Uefa Cup semi-final with Galatasaray on April 5, 2000.Leeds supporters held up a banner to pay tribute to them both that read: “Chris and Kev – Never forgotten”.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLFans around the stadium turned towards the banner and applauded while the referee ensured that everyone paid their respects by pausing the game.Supporters watching on from home loved the gesture from Smith to allow an uninterrupted moment of remembering for Christopher Loftus and Kevin Speight.Many took to social media to praise his decision online, with one writing: “Touch of class. By all involved”.While a second added: “Absolute class from the ref stopping proceedings.”Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSA third lauded Smith for not only stopping the game, but joining in with the applause too. They wrote: “Well done the referee – stopped play and applauded.”Football’s weirdest contract clauses revealed including non-Arsenal agreement and a private jet promiseWhile a fourth suggested that the official had risked being marked down by his assessors for his decision to stop play, but was impressed by his actions nonetheless.They added: “Referee Josh Smith stopping play here is an extremely classy move. I’m not sure if he’ll get marked down by his assessors for doing it but he absolutely shouldn’t.”The match returned to action shortly after with Leeds United leaving it late to score a crucial winner to maintain their place in the Championship title race.Hull had held their Yorkshire rivals at 1-1 for the majority of the game but saw their hard work undone in the 88th minute.Another big influence from the referee saw him award a penalty with just a few minutes to go which was converted by Crysensio Summerville to give Leeds the lead.Dan James then put the cherry on top of the three points with a stunning goal from the halfway line in the 97th minute after Hull keeper Ryan Allsop had come up for a corner and left his goal wide open on the counter attack.Dan James secured a crucial win for Leeds with a late stunnerCredit: Getty More

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      Premier League bosses to have touchline behaviour checked by VAR in shock move to clamp down on dissent

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      PREMIER LEAGUE bosses are in VAR’s sights in the latest proposed clampdown.Players have been at the centre of regular controversies in the top flight since the introduction of video technology in the 2019-20 season.Prem managers will be under the microscope more than everCredit: RexGoal-line technology will be utilised to see if managers have stepped outside their technical areaCredit: AFPQuestionable ref calls, long delays on decisions and poor communication in the stadium have left fans confused and fed up.But their moans could get worse with PGMOL chiefs now considering bringing in reviews on MANAGER behaviour on the touchline.Bosses are expected to be filmed by VAR cameras on the sidelines to monitor abuse of officials and any other issues.Microphones will also be positioned near the technical area so that audio of heated discussions can be transmitted to the PGMOL’s Stockley Park HQ.READ MORE ON FOOTBALLThis will allow VAR officials to make quick decisions on whether a manager’s treatment of refs has crossed a line.If an offence is deemed to have occurred, the on-field ref would then be permitted to stop the game to issue a yellow or red card for any misdemeanour.But PGMOL chiefs are also considering adopting goal-line technology to judge whether managers have left their technical area.This could mean the likes of animated title-chasing bosses Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta and Jurgen Klopp being punished for having a toe outside the white line.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSSupporters’ group spokeswoman April Fuller said: “We all know managers push it at times but they could be under the microscope more than ever.“This is likely to leave fans really, really annoyed.”Man Utd’s top targets for the transfer window More

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      Former Premier League ref Phil Dowd, 61, reveals cruel Parkinson’s diagnosis as he admits ‘it hit me hard’

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      FORMER Premier League referee Phil Dowd has opened up about his devastating Parkinson’s diagnosis.The 61-year-old experienced an incredible career from 1997 to 2016 with 15 years spent officiating in the top flight of English football.Former Premier League referee Phil Dowd has revealed he has Parkinson’s DiseaseCredit: AFP – GettyDowd took charge of some key fixturesCredit: PA:Press AssociationHe took charge of key matches such as FA Cup and League Cup finals, coming face-to-face with some of the biggest names in football including the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho.However, in an interview with the Mirror he revealed that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease during the Coronavirus pandemic.Dowd said: “Football gets me up in the morning now. That’s what gets me going and it’s important to have that.”It started when my wife saw my left arm shaking and I got checked. I got diagnosed during Covid times and the specialist said to me: ‘You’ve got Parkinson’s.’ It hit me hard and I just thought: ’s***’.Read More on Football”I didn’t want to admit that I had it in the first two years after I was diagnosed.”At that stage, you don’t realise all the symptoms because you think you just shake a bit. But there’s so many other symptoms.”You want to hide it but football has been brilliant to me. Howard Webb has been so supportive as has Wayne Allison at the PGMOL.”Dowd is now part of the PGMOL development group, coaching six officials including Aji Ajibola, Kirsty Dowle, Tom Parsons, Declan Brown, Abi Byrne and current top-flight referee Sunny Singh Gill.Most read in FootballHe is also keen to promote the work done by Parkinson’s UK, a charity that provides support to those affected by the disease.The former referee continued: “I want to put something back into society and we’ve got some golf days, there’s a walking football tournament. I want to help highlight it in the next couple of years.”I also want to show you can lead a good life and it’s not as bad as people think. I’m still doing stuff and I’m still grateful the PGMOL want me to work in my role and that has really helped me.”It’s important to be positive and stay active. There’s no cure. It affects people differently. I can probably jog better than I can walk.” More