In Behind the Whistle, former Premier League referee Chris Foy goes through a selection of key match decisions from the weekend EFL action.
Behind the Whistle aims to give supporters of EFL clubs an insight into the decision-making considerations and also clarification of certain calls to provide an understanding of how the laws of the game are interpreted.
As part of a regular feature on Sky Sports following the conclusion of a matchday, Foy will be here to run you through some refereeing matters in the EFL…
Burnley 0-0 Sunderland
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Highlights of the Sky Bet Championship match between Burnley and Sunderland
Incident: Possible penalty and red card (Sunderland/Burnley)
Decision: Penalty awarded, no red card (Sunderland/Burnley)
Foy says: “There are several incidents within one here, as the referee has to make decisions on whether or not Sunderland should be awarded a penalty, as well any disciplinary action that needs to be taken against the Burnley defender.
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Sunderland were awarded a penalty against Burnley however was this the right call as the foul appeared to be outside the box? Subsequently, should the Burnley player have received a red card for denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity?
“Firstly, the referee judges that the incident happens inside the box and he awards a penalty. With the benefit of replays, we can see that the incident actually takes place outside the area and the referee should therefore have awarded a free-kick to Sunderland.
“As the offence took place outside the penalty area and involved the denial of an obvious goalscoring opportunity, the correct disciplinary sanction in this incident should have been a red card for the Burnley defender.”
Portsmouth 2-1 Middlesbrough
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A Portsmouth goal was awarded against Middlesbrough but did the assistant referee get a tight offside call correct?
Incident: Goal scored, possible offside (Portsmouth)
Decision: Goal awarded, no offside (Portsmouth)
Foy says: “This is an excellent decision from the assistant referee as he remains alert to the movement of the Middlesbrough back-line attempting to catch the Portsmouth forwards offside, as well as the movement of the attacker.
“When the ball is delivered into the path of Portsmouth’s No 30, Middlesbrough’s No 30 begins to track back before holding his run slightly in an attempt to play the Portsmouth attacker offside.
“Despite this defensive manoeuvre, Portsmouth’s No 30 remains onside at the moment the ball is played and the assistant referee rightly keeps his flag down.”
Rotherham United 4-2 Charlton Athletic
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Rotherham were awarded a free-kick for this foul against Charlton but should it have been a penalty?
Incident: Possible penalty, foul (Rotherham United)
Decision: No penalty, free-kick awarded (Rotherham United)
Foy says: “The referee does very well here to identify the location of the foul that took place.
“When the foul is committed by the Charlton Athletic defender, it is difficult in real time to tell whether or not the trip occurs inside or outside of the penalty area.
“The referee’s position and focus here allows him to make an excellent judgement, he has no obstructions and can identify that the foul takes place outside the box. A free-kick is the correct decision.”
Stevenage 1-2 Wigan Athletic
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Wigan saw themselves reduced to 10 players for serious foul play, did the referee make the correct decision?
Incident: Possible red card, serious foul play (Wigan Athletic)
Decision: Red card awarded (Wigan Athletic)
Foy says: “Although we can’t be sure if the Wigan Athletic player intended to make contact with the Stevenage player where he does, the referee is correct in awarding the red card for serious foul play.
“The Wigan player, for me, probably intends to just stop a counter-attack by cynically tripping the Stevenage player who is progressing with the ball, but in doing so he clearly catches the opponent with the studs of his boot and with force, on his opponent’s Achilles.
“Whether there was any intent or not, the contact endangers the safety of his opponent and meets the threshold for a red card, which the referee correctly shows.”
Swindon Town 2-0 Barrow
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The referee had two big calls to make as Swindon scored against Barrow for a potential offside and foul by the attacker in the build-up for the goal
Incident: Goal scored, possible offside (Swindon Town)
Decision: Goal awarded, no offside (Swindon Town)
Foy says: “It could be argued the match officials have two big calls to make here, and for me they get them both correct.
“Firstly, there is a suspicion of offside as Swindon’s No 10 is played through, but replays show that he times his run well. The assistant referee correctly keeps his flag down.
“Secondly, the referee has a decision to make about whether or not the attacker commits a foul on the goalkeeper, or vice versa. He correctly identifies that the ball is played fairly and therefore there are no issues as the ball is rolled into the net.
“In what was such a quickly developing attack, both the referee and his assistant do well to correctly call both decisions, and the goal is rightly awarded.”