Infamous Premier League Refereeing Blunders

Premier League referees once again made headlines over the weekend as Roger East sent off the wrong Sunderland player in their defeat to Manchester United. He showed Wes Brown a red card for a foul committed by John O’Shea. However, this was not the first major refereeing blunder and it is unlikely to be the last.

During Arsenal’s 6 – 0 loss to Chelsea in March 2014 Andre Marriner infamously sent off Arsenal’s Kieran Gibbs by mistake. It was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain that should have seen red after he tipped a shot round a post with his hand.

However, perhaps the most bizarre refereeing decision in recent times came when Manchester City’s Ben Thatcher collided with Pedro Mendes and left the Tottenham player unconscious and in need of oxygen, yet referee Dermot Gallagher though that it was only necessary to produce a yellow card.