Clattenburg calls for change after what he saw in Middlesbrough 0-1 Leeds United
Leeds United were left stunned at the decisions made against them on Tuesday night.
The Whites managed to defeat Middlesbrough 1-0 to return to the top of the Championship, with Dan James’ second-minute goal securing a crucial three points.
However, Leeds were left frustrated that the match wasn’t a simpler one for them after some controversial refereeing decisions went against them.
Patrick Bamford and Ao Tanaka both found the back of the net against Middlesbrough, which should have led to them going three goals up in what would have been a breezy evening at the Riverside.
However, both of those goals were ruled out for being offside, even though they were perfectly good goals that should have stood.
The situation could have been costly for Leeds had they not gone on to win the game, and the impact on their goal difference could still cause them a problem down the line.
Leeds were impacted by ‘unforgivable’ decisions
The decisions made by the assistant referee Darren Williams left many pundits shocked at the appalling decisions that were made on the day.
Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg spoke to LeedsUnited.News (9 April) about the situation, and made it clear that he wasn’t impressed by what he saw on the day, joining the discourse about these moments.
| Team | Position | Goal Difference | Points |
| Leeds United | 1 | 52 | 85 |
| Burnley | 2 | 43 | 85 |
| Sheffield United | 3 | 25 | 83 |
He said: “The two incorrect offside decisions are unforgivable. The same Assistant Referee has made earlier errors in the season, and one would question how he is still operating at the top tier of the Football League.
“I am sure PGMOL and his coaches will be looking at this and trying to improve his future performances. The cry for VAR will rumble on in the Championship.”
And Clattenburg added that he believes new technology could potentially be rolled out to prevent such farcical situations in the future.
“They have goal line technology and maybe the next step is to have offside covered by the technology which are still factual decisions but wrong decisions can have a massive impact on a club,” he said.
Leeds have been encouraged to push the issue
Even though Leeds managed to win the game and move back to the top of the table, the Yorkshire giants might still look to push their problems further.
Former FIFA official Keith Hackett told MOT Leeds News that he felt “Farke was quite restrained”.
However, he has urged the Yorkshire giants to “request a meeting with Howard Webb in a bid to discuss the clips and analyse the decisions.
This is going to be particularly important because it isn’t the first time that Williams has been involved in controversial moment against them this season.
Williams has now disallowed multiple goals against the Whites this season, and that alarming number is starting to be a cause for concern among Leeds supporters regarding potential bias.