1 hour ago
1
Jay Bothroyd has made waves on social media for calling out Pro Ref chief Howard Webb live on Sky Sports.
Webb and his referees have come under fire yet again following their Manchester derby slip up, which saw Erling Haaland's winning goal allowed to stand despite Enzo Fernandez clearly being offside in the build-up.
VAR officials Matt Donohue and Blake Antrobus have been stood down from duty for this weekend as a result of the fallout.
And Bothroyd, who played for the likes of Cardiff and Wolves in his career, has been one of the people leading the backlash as he let loose on Sky.
Bothroyd clashed with former top-level referee Dermot Gallagher, who had claimed referees 'know the law inside out'.
'Why did they get it wrong then?' the former forward asked.
Jay Bothroyd (right) has gone viral after calling out Howard Webb following the Manchester derby officiating blunder
When he was told the officials likely 'lost focus', a frustrated Bothroyd replied: 'This is the thing. To me, that is unacceptable. You can't lose focus. That is their job. Their only job is to look at this - they are under no pressure, they are in a room.
'There is more than one (VAR official). They need to be getting that right, it's as simple as that. And to be saying sorry afterwards, that's not good enough. Let's be real here - Michael Carrick is under pressure now. He could lose his job because of them making a bad decision and saying sorry. "Sorry, Michael, we've made a bad decision, but you've been sacked".'
Sky then showed a clip of Pro Ref chief Howard Webb saying a similar goal that United scored in the derby three years ago 'shouldn't happen again'.
Bothroyd continued: 'First of all, I need to say this, put the camera on me. Howard Webb, come on this show when it's live and speak to us, because you need to explain to us, so I can put you in the spotlight and ask you questions.
'You need to come and speak to me live on this show about this incident. Because I need to know this. We keep on hearing all these things, and I don't understand them.
'There are laws there, and they are not being followed. The understanding. The interpretation. Even yesterday (in the derby), they are saying sorry then trying to explain it and they are digging themselves a bigger hole.
'I don't understand it. I will put my money on it now and say it - this is the easiest decision I'm going to see all year and it's four games in.'
Despite Gallagher's protests, Bothroyd received widespread support for his words.
Erling Haaland's goal was allowed to stand despite Enzo Fernandez standing offside
Fernandez moved to head the ball, clearly impacting United's Lisandro Martinez and Senne Lammens
One fan wrote on X: 'Jay Bothroyd calling out Howard Webb on live TV was cinema. GOATed behaviour.'
Another posted: 'I watched this live. Jay Bothroyd has never backed down and always real. I love the way he quizzes referee Dermot Gallagher on Ref Watch. He's one of my favourites. Top player. Top analyst. Top man.'
A third shared: 'Standing ovation for Jay Bothroyd. Proper one.'
Webb regularly appears on pre-recorded TNT Sports show 'Match Officials: Mic'd Up', in which he analyses refereeing calls from games.
It was pointed out to Bothroyd that Webb has previously spoken live on incidents, but the forward called for him to go on Sky Sports too.
United defender Lisandro Martinez led the protests from United players after the game.
He said on Sky: 'It's the best league in the world, you have the best teams in the world, the best players in the world, and now we have to go home with this injustice.
'I think it was offside. What I can't understand is the rules. He (Fernandez) was there, in front of me, and I went to him. So that's why Haaland was free at the back.
'It's so hard because you lose a derby and you lose three points at home. Every season they're coming to our club and explaining the rules for an hour-and-a-half. They look so confident, and then after that five or six people are making these kind of mistakes. It's unacceptable.'
