03/10/2025 22comments  |  Jump to last

Everton have been in contact with Professional Game Match Officials (PGMOL) following the two unacceptable yellow cards shown to Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, leading to his suspension against Crystal Palace, reveals David Moyes.

Dewsbury-Hall received his fifth yellow card against West Ham United, the Blues’ sixth match of the season on Monday. It was a clean tackle to win the ball and despite no obvious contact with West Ham’s Kyle Walker-Peters or any ill intent, the referee decided to caution the Everton playmaker.

The summer signing from Chelsea also went into the referee’s book during the Anfield derby after he took a quick free kick - a decision that drew public ire from his manager, Moyes and teammate Jack Grealish.

Speaking in the pre-match press conference, Moyes said that the club has been in dialogue with PGMOL over the refereeing decisions. “We have spoken to them, I think they are accepting that both yellow cards were wrong,” said Moyes.

“It is amazing. If you look through his history, I think he only had six bookings last year in total, five the year before. He has never had these numbers at all.

“The last two decisions were terrible - more for the boy. We are going to miss him greatly but he has been back playing regularly and enjoying his football.”

Moyes also confirmed that Jarrad Branthwaite and Merlin Rohl will miss this game as well. “They are both making progress but they haven't made it on the grass yet,” he added.

 

Reader Comments (22)

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Jack Convery
1 Posted 03/10/2025 at 16:24:07
How about a public apology and the refs concerned being sent to League One for a season or two.

I'd also like an explanation of why so many refs have it in for us along with Masters and his sycophants.

Dave Abrahams
2 Posted 03/10/2025 at 16:35:31
I think Moyes said “The PGMOL are appearing to accept that the two decisions were wrong” —- what does “appearing” mean? They either accept they were wrong or they are not sure; what's happening over the decisions is nothing.

Dewsbury-Hall remains suspended for the Palace game — although the officials might not be so keen to flash the yellow cards on Sunday as quickly as they have done in these two cases... then again!

Scott Hamilton
3 Posted 03/10/2025 at 16:54:39
So let him play on Sunday then, yer fuckers!!!
Brent Stephens
4 Posted 03/10/2025 at 17:10:36
Having PGMOL accept (apparently) that both yellows were wrong, it seems bizarre that there is no right of appeal (is that the case in such circumstances?).
Mike Gaynes
5 Posted 03/10/2025 at 17:25:02
Brent, what's truly bizarre is that there's no vehicle for overturning the suspension if the calls are conceded to be wrong.
Sean Mitchell
6 Posted 03/10/2025 at 17:25:45
Stuff their apology.

The bookings were deliberate.

Agent Masters at it again.

Fuck the PGMOL and fuck the corrupt Premier League.

Svein-Roger Jensen
7 Posted 03/10/2025 at 17:43:41
These Premier League referees are on a payroll to rule against Everton.

You will never convince me otherwise. PIGS MOL

Ian Bennett
8 Posted 03/10/2025 at 20:35:58
5 yellows for a suspension needs changing.

Yellows cards are given for next to nothing these days, so why they're depriving the game of players when the bar to a yellow is lower, and the chance of injury has increased.

What is it actually achieving?

James Marshall
9 Posted 03/10/2025 at 20:46:28
I agree, it's a daft rule. Pointless. It's akin to being punished in the following game for something that could be entirely innocuous. And in these cases several innocuous (and incorrect) 'fouls'.

Same goes for suspensions in cup competitions where player miss games. If they're going to change what is and isn't a booking, then they also need to change the ruling on what constitutes a ban.

5 yellows and a ban doesn't stop players getting bookings anyway, so it's completely ridiculous. They should just bin the rule altogether. If you get a yellow, fine, if you get 2 you get a red, also fine. But leave it there. That's punishment enough.

This notion of something that happens in previous games having a bearing on future games is just plain stupid.

Ian Bennett
10 Posted 03/10/2025 at 20:54:37
Currently, 5 yellows, and then another 5 yellows could result in 1- plus 2-game ban = 3.

I'd perhaps suggest 10 yellows should equal a 1-game ban.

Paul Kernot
11 Posted 03/10/2025 at 22:01:46
The above all sounds like we may be heading for the rugby type 20 minute sin bin for a green card.
Don Alexander
12 Posted 03/10/2025 at 23:53:27
Has that dangerously mad bastard Trump taken over governance of the yellow card so-called rules over here? Looks like it to me.

Sigh, as ever with the Premier League.

This evening's rugby league contest between Wigan and Leigh was professional sport perfection by the way.

Si Cooper
13 Posted 04/10/2025 at 01:22:44
You've got to have some sort of sanction for persistent ‘bad behaviour'; otherwise, you are effectively giving a green light to one naughty challenge per player per game. No one would ever really be accountable as long as they avoided doing two naughty things per game.

What should be tweaked is that it shouldn't be an automatic suspension and each player should be able to argue their case and use precedents. That should level the playing field somewhat.

The big problem is that the PGMOL are never going to readily allow the competence of their members to be challengeable in that way.

Alan J Thompson
14 Posted 04/10/2025 at 05:05:26
The simplest way around it maybe to hold a hearing (electronic or in person) to decide if a player should receive a ban, or perhaps suspended ban, when points could be argued.

Should a player who injures other players with foul tackles be treated in the same way as those yellow carded for mouthing off, handball where your arm isn't in a "natural" position, kicking the ball away, time wasting, taking a quick free kick, or referee bias, sorry, error?

Maybe even introduce video evidence of differences between various referees' interpretation of rules and intentions which may even improve refereeing by virtue of consistency.

Just thank heavens that goal kicks no longer have to leave the penalty area before... perhaps not.

Tony Abrahams
15 Posted 04/10/2025 at 09:13:25
If my memory is correct, then yellow cards used to come with a points tally. The worse the offence was deemed to be, the more points the player was given for his offence.

This has obviously been removed but, considering the way yellow cards are dished out these days, then maybe it's worth looking at again.

It makes sense, get a few more people on the gravy-train, especially if you can see the results which we would be accessible to people within the game, who could then question why two different players will have received different points for the exact same offence!

Whilst they are at it, maybe they could do away with penalties for everything (again if it's for or against certain clubs) and bring back the indirect free-kick!

Martin Farrington
16 Posted 04/10/2025 at 10:00:40
They were both a disgrace at the time and even more so because Wanker Webb remains silent as a RNS after a Salah handball.

There used to be a system where a manager could ask the referee to review the card and rescind it in his report post-match, in exceptional circumstances, like the last game especially.

However, that was on the points system and you ran the risk of increased points for an unsuccessful appeal.

I agree with comments above. I'm beyond thinking that there is a conspiracy. It's there. Swathes of evidence prove it. It has upped a notch since the disease, Masters, has become the Top 6's god.

For me, Moyes has to say "They have apologised. They were both wrong, but the system to rescind no longer exists". That would force Wanker Webb to make a statement and blub some useless retort.

Yeh, Moyes will get the Masters death letter and be banned from looking confused on the touchline for several matches.
But his wishy washy "they kind of did but didn't maybe" is as much use as an anal diaphragm.

Also employ RNS tactics. Refuse to play a fixture if a certain ref is picked. They got away with it. Everton are too timid.

Derek Knox
17 Posted 04/10/2025 at 11:42:44
Echoing and agreeing with all the comments above, it is a sad state of affairs indeed and something should be done about it.

But we all know there is more chance of Lord Horatio Nelson getting his arm and eye back than that happening!

Sean Mitchell
18 Posted 04/10/2025 at 12:59:19
What we do know is booking don't apply for shit houses like Dick van Dijk.

I wonder how much the shit bag ref was paid for the derby game?

It's all down to Masters. He's the Kier Starmer of Football.

Christy Ring
19 Posted 04/10/2025 at 13:17:17
An apology means nothing now, considering he's still suspended.

They should change the ridiculous rule, you should be allowed to appeal yellow cards, especially when they're blatantly wrong.

Liam Mogan
20 Posted 04/10/2025 at 13:31:56
I think the powers that be are worried about opening refs up to more scrutiny, Christy.

That and the fact they'd probably have dozens of yellow cards appealed every week.

Geoff Cadman
21 Posted 04/10/2025 at 15:04:39
Time for a 3-card system: red, orange and yellow.

Different points for each colour and a ban after accumulating 10 points.

James Marshall
22 Posted 04/10/2025 at 15:34:02
Why complicate things even further? The rules are already out of control. It's a contact sport, leave it alone.

Players play the same way regardless of whether they have 1 or 4 bookings in previous games. They only play differently when they're on a yellow in a game so nothing changes.

Just bin the rule. It's pointless and doesn't affect player behaviour at all. It's like in World Cups or big cup tournaments when great players get bans for accruing cards -- pointless.


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