Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior will contact referees’ body PGMOL after a bizarre pre-match huddle incident involving official Paul Tierney.
CHELSEA manager Liam Rosenior has vowed to contact the referees’ body after a bizarre incident where official Paul Tierney gate-crashed his team’s pre-match huddle. The disruption occurred before Chelsea’s 1-0 home defeat to Newcastle United on Saturday.
Anthony Gordon’s 18th-minute strike secured Newcastle’s first win at Stamford Bridge in 14 years. The goal punished sloppy Chelsea defending, dealing a major blow to the Blues’ top-four ambitions.
However, the post-match focus centred on Tierney’s curious intervention before kick-off. The referee stood in the centre of a circle of Chelsea players as captain Reece James addressed his team.
Newcastle were due to kick off, with Tierney standing next to the ball near the centre spot. He seemingly refused to move as the home team congregated around him for their ritual.
“I want to protect my players,” said Rosenior. “I’m respectful to the game. My players made a decision that they wanted to be around the ball, to respect the ball and show unity and leadership.”
Rosenior emphasised the huddle was a player-led initiative. “That is not my decision. That is a decision between the leadership group and the team,” he stated. “There is nothing that they’re doing with that huddle that is disrespectful to the opposition.”
The pre-match huddle has become a ritual under Rosenior. It has previously provoked controversy, with Aston Villa fans booing Chelsea before a recent 4-1 win at Villa Park.
Rosenior revealed the huddle was discussed in the pre-match officials’ meeting. “The first thing he talks about is our huddle,” the manager said of Tierney. “He said about when I complained about Arsenal being in our half.”
The Chelsea boss also took a swipe at Tierney’s in-game decisions. He claimed his side should have had a penalty when Cole Palmer went down under a Nick Woltemade challenge.
“If Paul had focused more on his job, which was to make the right decision, we’d have a penalty today,” Rosenior argued. “I don’t think anyone can say that Woltemade doesn’t kick Cole Palmer down in the box.”
Rosenior confirmed he did not speak to Tierney after the match. “I’ll be speaking to PGMOL. I’ll be speaking to the refs,” he said. “Just trying to get an understanding of what happened.”
The Sun Malaysia
