Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Ipswich Town: Valerien Ismael slams referee

Blackburn Rovers 1-1 Ipswich Town: Valerien Ismael slams referee

Blackburn Rovers manager Valérien Ismaël strongly criticized Championship refereeing standards following his team’s 1-1 draw at home to Ipswich Town.

Ismaël blasted referee Oliver Langford for failing to dismiss Azor Matusiwa late in the first half after what he felt was a last-man foul on Ryoya Morishita, describing the decision as “disgraceful.”

Holding a sheet of paper in hand, the Frenchman proceeded to list numerous decisions he believes have gone against Blackburn throughout the season.

“I feel devastated for the players,” Ismaël said.

“We should be celebrating a win and enjoying the bond with our supporters, but tonight I can’t ignore the referee.

“At this point, it’s too much. We’ve written down every single incident that has gone against us this season. The non–red card is a disgrace. It’s awful. I cannot accept it.”

He went on to argue that there should also have been a penalty awarded to Yuki Ohashi and insisted the final action of the match should have resulted in a corner for Rovers.

“The standard of refereeing in the Championship is terrible,” he added.

“Clubs fighting for promotion make big financial commitments to play good football. We play every three days and it keeps happening. The level of officiating is extremely poor.

“It’s unacceptable when I look at the list of wrong decisions we’ve faced. One or two mistakes, sure — everyone can accept that. But the red card incident tonight is obvious.

“Maybe it’s because they’re a former Premier League side and they wanted to help them. Nobody can understand it. It’s an awful decision and I have to speak about it. It’s disgraceful to witness that kind of performance.

“No one can follow or understand the referee’s judgement.”

Referring to key moments this season, Ismaël listed: “No penalty at West Brom. Gudjohnsen at Watford. Charlton handball — no penalty. Swansea — no penalty. Preston — no red card for Whiteman. No penalty on Pape Gueye. Wrexham — no foul by Hedges. Ipswich — clear red card and a penalty on Yuki.

“It’s simple: they must do their job. It’s far too much. If we’d gotten just 10% of those decisions, maybe that’s four extra points. Enough is enough.

“We speak to them after every game but we get the same excuses: ‘I didn’t see it,’ or ‘Sorry, I made a mistake.’ What we want is for the standard and the quality on the pitch to improve.

“We must perform — managers, players, everyone at the club. The referees must perform as well because it cannot continue like this. Tonight’s red card situation — enough is enough.”