Craig Pawson will referee the League Cup final between Manchester City and Arsenal next Sunday, and City fans aren’t happy about it.
Earlier this week, the EFL announced that Pawson will officiate the match next weekend. Usually, Arsenal supporters are the ones with all the conspiracies about referees, but this time their opponents took up the mantle to complain about the decision.
Last season, Pawson refereed the FA Cup semi-final between the two clubs, a match Arsenal won 2-1. The biggest controversy came when the officials ruled out a Raheem Sterling goal from a Leroy Sane cross. They judged that the ball had left the pitch, when it hadn’t, and the goal should’ve stood.
Clearly, City fans still haven’t forgotten that:
and disallowed a perfectly good goal in the process. #-1Handicap
— Craig Trow (@Trowy237) February 13, 2018
https://twitter.com/Sam_Martin789/status/963457702398709760
So we’re gonna have a good goal ruled out then
— Troy (@troyboy621) February 13, 2018
It’s a bit bizarre they’re blaming the referee for the decision. The assistant made the call that it had gone out, and Pawson was in no position to overrule.
Other City fans pointed to the kicking David Silva took without any punishment for Arsenal. That’s something the referee can actually control, at least:
The guy who allowed Arsenal to kick David Silva off the pitch!?!? He’s a…. pic.twitter.com/nHXPLTe4Ib
— Walter Smith (@mancitysmith) February 13, 2018
Ultimate insult
— RamblingsOfAMCFCfan (@RamblingsofMCFC) February 13, 2018
In all honesty, the City fans have nothing to complain about. In the 11 matches Pawson refereed them in, they only lost two, including the Arsenal one. Most recently, they smashed Tottenham 4-1 under the referee. Both teams could do far worse. Let’s hope so anyway.