Richard Keys has now commented on the Premier League’s decision to put Chris Kavanagh in charge of Saturday’s clash between Manchester City and Liverpool.
Well, the Premier League’s announcement regarding the weekend’s chosen officials has caused quite a stir.
A number of Liverpool fans are upset by the appointment of Kavanagh for Saturday’s clash, as the 38-year-old was born just five miles from the Etihad Stadium, according to the Daily Mail.
The man born in Ashton-under-Lyne does not support Manchester City or Liverpool, however, which means he has permission to oversee Saturday’s clash, as officials are not allowed to referee fixtures involving their chosen side, or rival teams.
Keys – however – thinks the Premier League are setting Kavanagh up to fail by putting him in charge of a fixture so close to home.
The beIN SPORTS presenter said: “Why do the PGMOL do it? Why? Not for a moment do I think Chris Kavanagh will be anything other than professional at City but what if? What if something goes wrong? And in a season like this who’d bet against it? Why put him under the added pressure? Are there no other refs?”
Keys – who was also baffled by Anthony Taylor taking charge of Manchester City’s draw against Chelsea – makes a good point.
While Kavanagh will surely referee Saturday’s fixture to the best of his ability, the conspiracy theories about him being a Manchester City fan will be rife if a decision goes in Pep Guardiola’s favour against Liverpool.
With other conspiracy theories already doing the rounds right now – including Saudi Arabian influence on our officials, as well as exclusively negative treatment towards Arsenal – the PGMOL are not helping by potentially creating another one on Saturday.
Hopefully, Saturday’s clash goes without any controversy, or else another refereeing debate will surely break out.
