Newcastle striker Callum Wilson has claimed that referee Craig Pawson told him on Sunday that his penalty shout was ‘never’ a spot-kick.
The 30-year-old has appeared on the latest episode of the Footballer’s Football Podcast, and discussed the incident in the 0-0 draw with Manchester United.
Wilson had an opportunity early into the game, bursting into the box with the ball. However, he was wiped out by Raphael Varane. His Man United teammate Lisandro Martinez then retrieved possession as Pawson waved play on.
After a very swift VAR check, it was determined that there had been no foul.
However, the TV replays said otherwise. You could clearly see that Wilson had been taken out by Varane. He stepped across him and knocked him over in the penalty area. It was a stonewall penalty.
But it wasn’t given, and now Newcastle’s number nine has given his views on the incident.
What the referee told Wilson
Speaking on the latest episode of the Footballer’s Football Podcast, Wilson explained what happened in the aftermath of the decision.
“It’s actually getting embarrassing [decisions],” he said.
“I was waiting for a goal kick in our game and I don’t even want to get started on the decisions in our game. But one of the United players says to me ‘what’s happened to the standard of referees in this country’. I was thinking wow. That’s from a foreign player saying that and they’ve not experienced that before.
“I got wiped out and the defender from their team are saying that should have been a penalty.
“I don’t even appeal now because I’m that fed up of going mad at referees. If it’s going to be a penalty and the ref has missed it you’re thinking VAR is going to do its job, so I’m waiting for the ball to go out of play.
“Then I say to him ‘ref, what you saying’. He was like ‘it’s never a penalty’. And I was thinking why am I wasting my time here.
“They were basically trying to say I was going through a gap that wasn’t there.”
Shocking penalty call by VAR on a tough day for officials at Old Trafford
On first inspection of the incident, I thought it was a penalty. Then I changed my mind based on Wilson’s reaction. But then the replay showed that it should have been given.
Now we know why Wilson didn’t appeal like crazy for it – he’s ‘fed up’ of bad officiating.
His assessment of the referee is pretty scathing, and it’s interesting to hear that Pawson was adamant it’s never a penalty. I wonder if he still holds that view after the game, because if he does then we’re in serious trouble.
There are far too many refereeing errors in the Premier League, and we saw a few dodgy decisions on Sunday. Manchester United had a couple of penalty shouts of their own that could and possibly should have been given.
Then there was the Ronaldo goal farce which was a bit embarrassing. However, the Red Devils have since been charged by the FA.
It was a bad day for the officials at Old Trafford, but the biggest misdemeanor is the Wilson penalty. If that’s given, it’s a different game and all the other incidents may never happen.
Wilson isn’t happy, and rightly so.
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