Referee John Moss has received death threats from fans following a series of divisive decisions in the Championship play-off final between Nottingham Forest and Huddersfield Town.
The game, dubbed the most lucrative in football due to the winner receiving around £170m alongside a spot in the Premier League, was won by Forest courtesy of an own goal by Chelsea loanee Levi Colwill just before half time.
Disaster for Huddersfield, delight for Nottingham Forest!
Minutes before the half-time break, Levi Colwill diverts the ball into his own goal to give Forest the lead at Wembley.
🔵0-1🔴pic.twitter.com/yvSDGPMe01
— TEAMtalk (@TEAMtalk) May 29, 2022
However, much of the discourse at the end of the game was dominated by the actions of referee John Moss, in his final game as a professional referee. Huddersfield Town fans believed that they were denied a clear penalty when
Should Nottingham Forest be counting themselves lucky that VAR didn’t award Huddersfield a penalty here? 🧐pic.twitter.com/FWI3E5OHVH
— 90min (@90min_Football) May 29, 2022
Instead, John Moss booked the offender, left-back Harry Toffolo, for simulation, while Paul Tierney on VAR chose not to overturn the decision.
There was also a second penalty incident that went against the Yorkshire side, leaving many feeling aggrieved with the performance of the officials more than that of their own side.
John Moss on the receiving end of death threats
And, it led to plenty of action on social media, with the police reportedly called to Moss’s vinyl shop in Headingley, Leeds, to discuss death threats on social media aimed at the 51-year-old official.
Moss is set to take charge of the Premier League referees upon retirement this season, becoming the Select Group 1 Manager at the PGMOL in an attempt to improve refereeing.
There were also reports of vandalism to the shop but 101 understands this not to be the case, and those inside the store confirmed that no such destruction had taken place.
Reports of damage to Moss’s shop ‘The Vinyl Whistle’ are thought to be wide of the mark.
Though those decisions contributed to costing Huddersfield Town a spot in the Premier League, Terriers boss Carlos Corberan chose to remain diplomatic.
‘I didn’t watch them yet but the players that received these fouls were thinking that if they hadn’t received the foul they would have finished the opportunity to attack’, he said after the game.
‘But you have the VAR and the referee, and if they understand there is no foul, I can’t say anything. The only thing I can do is to accept it. I understand that with only one referee it is complicated but when you have the support of the VAR the possibility to make fair decisions increases, so if they understand it was not a penalty it’s because maybe they were not penalties.’
Once again, however, the ire of fanbases towards referees has seemingly crossed the line between professional and personal.
