Martin Samuel: Everton should disqualify Stuart Attwell for the “horrendous” Mason Holgate incident.

Martin Samuel: Everton should disqualify Stuart Attwell for the “horrendous” Mason Holgate incident.

Martin Samuel, a journalist for The Times, criticized referee Stuart Attwell for his failure to give Everton loanee Mason Holgate a red card for a dangerous challenge during Sheffield United’s match against Brighton.

Samuel argued that Holgate’s knee-high tackle on Kaoru Mitoma was blatantly reckless

and should have resulted in a red card without the need for a VAR review.

Samuel questioned Attwell’s suitability as an elite referee, pointing out his history of

controversial decisions and suggesting that his lack of improvement over the years should disqualify him from

officiating at the highest level.

Holgate’s challenge on Mitoma was widely condemned as one of the worst of the

Premier League season, and Samuel argued that Attwell’s decision not to send him off was indefensible.

Samuel called for a better system for evaluating and improving referees after high-profile

errors, suggesting that a tangible process for addressing mistakes could help increase acceptance of the challenges referees face in their job.

 

Holgate’s season took another negative turn after his unsuccessful loan spell

at Southampton and his subsequent move to Sheffield United, which drew attention

for the wrong reasons due to his controversial challenge.

Despite receiving a three-match ban after a VAR review, Holgate faced further

adversity when he was subjected to racist abuse, prompting condemnation from Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder.

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