Mike Riley, who is the chief of referees, has apologised to Steve Clarke and West Bromwich Albion for the penalty that was given against them in the last minute at Stamford Bridge, which cost them all three points.
The game was nearing it’s end when referee, Andre Marriner decided to give The Blues a last-minute penalty after Steven Reid and Ramires collided. The spot-kick was then converted by Eden Hazard and the game finished 2-2.
The penalty left all The Baggies side and management frustrated and furious, and Clarke has revealed to the club’s official website that they have received an apology from Riley.
Clarke said: “We’ve had a phone call from Mike Riley to apologise. It doesn’t get us any more points but it’s nice of Mike to phone.
“If he’s apologising, he obviously feels it was the wrong decision. We have to put it behind us now and move forward.”
The Baggies boss has also revealed that the club have written a formal complaint to both Riley and the Premier League regarding four penalty decisions that have gone against them.
“The purpose of the letter is to try and provoke discussion,” added Clarke.
“It’s not necessarily a discussion between us and the authorities, but a discussion between everyone and the authorities to see if there is a way we can improve the game.
“That’s my understanding of the basis of the letter – it’s no more than that.
“If there is technology that can be used to help referees make difficult decisions, which is what they have to do, then let’s look at it and see what we can come up with.
“If we can improve it, good, if we can’t improve it then we’ll stick with what we’ve got. But let’s talk about it.”
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles
