‘It’s a joke!’ – Marco Silva says new Premier League rules ‘protect big clubs’ after draw at Arsenal

Marco Silva says the new Premier League rules help ‘protect the big clubs’ amid a red card handed to Calvin Bassey in the draw at Arsenal.

Fulham managed to come away with a dramatic 2-2 draw at Arsenal with Andreas Pereira giving the visitors an early lead but a Bukayo Saka penalty and a controversial Eddie Nketiah goal turned the game around.

Calvin Bassey ended up getting sent off for Fulham but they earned a point thanks to Joao Palhinha, despite that though the decisions from the referee left Silva far from happy.

Bassey’s first yellow card came after Tierney adjudged him to be wasting time as he was getting prepared to take a goal-kick.

Silva told Sky Sports: “The first yellow card for Calvin is a joke.

“For the second goal of Arsenal, for me it’s a clear foul on Calvin. [Saka] pulls his arm, a clear foul. I spoke with the fourth official and he said: ‘I’ll call the referee to give you a yellow card.'”

The Fulham manager went on to criticise the new directives for officials to crack down on time wasting, adding he believes it hands an advantage to bigger clubs.

“Of course we understand the new circumstances we are playing,” he said. “They are taking all the emotion from the game.

“It is going to protect the big clubs because you have to see consistency in the decisions. If a player from Fulham takes 15 seconds to throw the ball or [take] a goal-kick, it will be a yellow card.

“This player will be always under pressure because if he makes a foul it will be a second yellow card, for example this afternoon with Calvin.

“But for the other clubs it’s not the same. If you see one of the first throw-ins for (Thomas) Partey on my side on the touchline, he took much more time than Calvin on the goal-kick.

“It was not a yellow card. Why? Because they were losing the game? That’s why I say you’re not going to see consistency.”

“They are taking all the emotion from the game. It’s going to protect the big clubs”

Fulham boss Marco Silva is NOT happy with the standard of Premier League refereeing this season 😤 pic.twitter.com/9Hf8sRDvVd

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 26, 2023

Speaking on Soccer Saturday, Mike Dean said of Silva: “Some of the wording he’s used, words like ‘joke’, if he gives himself another hour or so he probably thinks, ‘why have I said that?’

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets asked about his comments.”

Looking into Silva’s claims over Bassey’s first booking, Dean added: “(Bernd) Leno gets the ball, runs past where the ball should be placed into the centre of the goal, rolls it back to Bassey… it’s not just Bassey who has done the time-wasting.

“Leno’s hung his team-mate out to dry. It takes nine seconds and he gets a yellow card, but Leno has done 10 or 15 seconds on top.

“It’s 20 seconds until the restart. I know people are going to say it’s only 20 seconds but they’ve been told pre-season about getting the ball into play quicker.”

Player ratings

Arsenal: Ramsdale (7), Partey (6), White (5), Saliba (6), Kiwior (6), Odegaard (7), Rice (7), Havertz (6), Saka (7), Trossard (6), Martinelli (6).

Subs: Nketiah (7), Vieira (8), Zinchenko (6), Jorginho (n/a), Jesus (n/a).

Fulham: Leno (8), Tete (5), Diop (7), Bassey (4), Robinson (6), Lukic (6), Palhinha (8), Wilson (6), Pereira (7), Decordova-Reid (6), Jimenez (6).

Subs: Cairney (6), Reed (6), Traore (7), Adarabioyo (n/a).

Player of the match: Joao Palhinha

This is what fans are saying as Marco Silva says new Premier League rules ‘protect big clubs’ after the draw at Arsenal…

@TomLevins1: Incoming ban and fine, but he’s not wrong.

@jordymaui: he is literally spitting facts though, let’s be real

@JRT0809: The more managers that come out and speak against the Refs the better, respect Silva for saying this 👏🏻

@FulhamTransfer: Marco’s definitely getting a touchline ban now isn’t he 😂

@doydoy64: And rightly so ! Penalty given against Fulham v Brentford which patently wasn’t and now this situation today. Lack of consistency by referees in the PL is indeed a joke.

@lozc89: He’s right the constant yellow cards are ridiculous & it ruins the rhythm of the game… football is so soft now! 🙄

@MarkJwalker: 9 minutes of added time but Arsenal get 11 so they can take two corner kicks at the end. When Bassey went down injured for Arsenals goal, he wasn’t allowed back on the pitch for a minute. The ball even went out and the red didn’t wave him back on.

@TobyWardSmith: Absolutely spot on! The moment Arsenal started time wasting at 2-1 the ref didn’t care at all. Ramsdale took double the time Bassey took to take a goal kick and no yellow

@BandWSheepNUFC: The footballing hierarchies are spending more money to help referees out than ever before and it’s getting worse. How is that possible.

@DavidAt75429588: 💯 right. Players now are getting a yellow card for absolutely nothing – which is increasing teams playing with 10. We pay to watch the players not the referees.

@Ad82049942: He’s not wrong. As usual the powers that be are happy to book for supposed time wasting or celebrating a goal yet turn a blind eye to blatant diving and cynical fouling – you know, things that actually effect the game we don’t want to see.

@MaccyD58: Join the club… I haven’t been happy with the standard of refereeing for years! The biggest issue is a lack of consistency – not just between different referees which is appalling but the same referee within a game and from one week to the next. @premierleague @GNev2 @GaryLineker