According to TalkSPORT analyst Simon Jordan, the behavior of players like Andy Robertson and Bruno Fernandes is in part to blame for the Premier League’s new strict approach on refereeing, which has seen an increase in yellow and red cards.
Fans’ reactions to the tighter approach have been conflicted in the first few weeks of the new campaign. Referees are becoming stricter about behaviors like contesting calls, crowding the referee, and wasting time; offenders receive yellow cards and have their time extended by 90 minutes.
Alexis MacAllister was ejected against Bournemouth, and Virgil van Dijk was dismissed against Newcastle United, giving Liverpool a total of two red cards in its past two games. However, Mac Allister’s red card was swiftly overturned after an appeal was filed, casting doubt on the ability of VAR to overturn judgments.
Despite the debate, Jordan is of the opinion that everyone should accept the new adjustments because they are the results of their own actions. Jordan singled out Liverpool full-back Robertson as one of the offenders to blame for the current predicament.
There is a resistance to accepting authority on the field, according to the former owner of Crystal Palace. You don’t hear the media questioning a refereeing call over hill and down dale [after a rugby match] out of necessity.Little Mussolinis rampaging around the field without any accountability and the asylum being governed by lunatics are both ideas I find objectionable. It bothers me that the players and managers believe they can act anyway they choose and may be proud of their current success.
They can appreciate individuals like Andy Robertson and Bruno Fernandes for pushing it last year to the point where the refereeing community said, “Right, that will do.”
