Nuno Espírito Santo has been asked to explain his comments after the Portuguese coach criticised the quality of referee Lee Mason following Wolverhampton Wanderers’ defeat to Burnley on Monday.
During his post-match interview, Nuno spoke at length when criticising Mason’s ability to referee at Premier League level, saying both teams become frustrated when the official “is not good enough” and unable to control the match.
Nuno Espírito Santo's post-match rant about referee Lee Mason ? pic.twitter.com/cd30b1Wmfk
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) December 22, 2020
The Football Association have asked the former Porto man to explain his comments and will decide whether to proceed any further after receiving Nuno’s response. As per the BBC: under current FA regulations, post-match comments that criticise the performance or competence of a match official are permitted unless they imply bias, attack the official's integrity, are personally offensive, are prolonged, or are particularly unreasonable.”
Mason has refereed in the Premier League since 2006, during which time he has incurred the wrath of the likes of Alex Ferguson and others. Brendan Rodgers, then manager of Liverpool, was once fined for suggesting Mason had exhibited bias against his side in a match against Manchester City, while Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti described Mason’s performance as “not at the top” after he officiated The Toffees during the summer.
By Sean Gillen
