Brighton boss absolves PGMOL after fatal error

Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi has taken an understanding stance towards the PGMOL after they apologised to his club for the third this season,

The Seagulls have been victims of three crucial refereeing errors this season that have led the arbitration body to pen a formal apology, the latest being an ungiven penalty after Kaoru Mitoma was fouled in the box against Tottenham. Brighton went in to lose the game 2-1.

Slamming the refereeing association would have been expected from the Italian manager, as the error influenced an unfavourable outcome for his team in the game, but De Zerbi was more forgiving.

The former Sampdoria manager said he was a huge respecter of the refereeing profession, continuing his statement where he explained that perfection should not be expected from referees, as they are capable of making mistakes, suggesting he is able to overlook errors,

However, the 43-year-old will not stand for the opposing bench pressuring officials into calls. The Brighton boss suggests his team have moved on from the decision and are fully focused on their next game in the Premier League against Chelsea.

As previously reported, Brighton received an apology from the league’s body of referees, PGMOL, after they suffered yet another refereeing error in their 2-1 loss to Tottenham on Saturday. 

The Seagulls were denied an apparent penalty against Tottenham when winger Kaoru Mitoma was fouled in the box by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, but referee Stuart Atwell failed to spot the infringement, as did the VAR officials on duty. 

They received apologies for crucial errors that went against them against Aston Villa in November and Crystal Palace in February. 

The latest error against Tottenham saw the Seagulls lose to Spurs in a game that they could have won if decisions went their way, and could cost Brighton a significantly higher finish on the table.