John Busby bottles decision in Leeds United controversy v Preston
Jon Newsome could not believe that John Busby did not send off Preston captain Ben Whiteman against Leeds United on Saturday
Speaking on BBC Radio Leeds (14 December, 1:07pm), Newsome laid into Busby after Whiteman’s lunge on Jayden Bogle, catching the full-back high and late on the edge of the box in the 1-1 draw.
Whiteman had already been shown a yellow card at the time, but Busby didn’t send him off despite Newsome and Daniel Farke all arguing that the challenge was worth a red.
He said: “I’ll tell you, he’s bottled it.
“This is the funny bit now, the referee’s running over to the touchline, he’ll be giving Daniel Farke a yellow card.
“We’ve said before, he’s already having a bad game, but that’s a really, really poor decision – he doesn’t want to take responsibility in charge of the game does he.”
“The referee has lost control, and he’s not refereed the game correctly, he’s bottled it.”
Jon Newsome justified in Preston v Leeds United referee criticism
While United were far from their best, labouring to a 1-1 draw thanks to an own goal forced by Mateo Joseph in second-half injury time, they weren’t helped by some frankly baffling refereeing decisions.
Preston were already 1-0 up and Whiteman was already carded when he flew in recklessly on Bogle, with Busby’s decision to award a free-kick only leaving Farke and the entire away end in disbelief.
Farke being booked himself for hassling the fourth official about the decision was the icing on the cake for Busby’s minute of madness, and the head-scratching whistle-blowing didn’t ever seem to let up.
The Peacocks only had themselves to blame for Preston’s opening goal on the break, but having dominated possession throughout, their efforts were arguably hindered by Busby’s performance.
Being at the centre of bizarre refereeing displays is hardly a new phenomenon for Farke’s side, but Leeds fans will leave Deepdale wondering just how low the standards of Championship officiating can sink.
In other Leeds news, the Whites are “monitoring” the progress of a player with admirers on both sides of the Scottish border.
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