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Stoke in disbelief as referee apologises for not awarding clear penalty in draw with Millwall

Stoke City are in disbelief as the referee apologises for not awarding a penalty after a clear foul in the 1-1 draw with Millwall.

Wouter Burger was evidently fouled in the six-yard box by Millwall captain Jake Cooper with referee Will Finnie later acknowledging that a penalty and a red card should have been issued.

The Lions went ahead at the break through their first attempt on target, Femi Azeez seeing his low ball across the edge of the six yard-box and through to Josh Coburn, who netted from two yards.

Stoke saw strong claims for a spot kick waved away, yet it was clear to everyone in the stadium that Jake Cooper had pulled back Wouter.

Stoke deservedly got an equaliser when Gibson flicked in a near-post header from Bae Jun-Ho’s corner.

Following the day’s action Stoke sit 13th in the Championship table with 19 points from 15 games, while Millwall are 7th with 23 points.

This latest apology became the third time in 11 matches for Stoke, having previously seen key incidents also going the wrong way when playing Hull and Derby.

Pelach said, per Stoke Sentinel: “It is frustrating but I’ve spoken to the players to try to help them understand what life is. You can get frustrated then stay in that state all the time you want and you are going to change nothing. Or you accept it has happened. It is the third time in 11 games that the referee has apologised to me but I went to him and said, ‘Don’t do it, it’s fine. You are a human being, I’m a human being, I do mistakes in my job, you do mistakes in yours, today has gone that way, next day it will go the other way or not, we can’t change it, it’s fine.’

“It has happened. The referee didn’t see it. We focus on the next thing else we live in a mental state of excuses and that’s something I don’t want for me or my players and I’m talking to them a lot about. I keep saying we have to focus on what we can control and do things about. It’s fine.

“When the moment happened I was really angry and tried to push the referee’s decision as much as I could. I saw it from my angle. I think he has got another angle, that’s what I imagine else he would have whistled. The linesman has a better angle, then when the game got stopped I thought, ok, he’s going to whistle late after being told by the linesman. When it doesn’t happen I don’t get it and the worst thing is that now we have Burger suspended for QPR, which is such an important game for us, an opportunity to put a lot of difference between us and QPR.

“It went the other way and it’s the third time that a referee has apologised to me.

“But I don’t want to be in this mental state. The more I talk about this, it teaches my players about excuses and instead I’m telling them every day I don’t want to listen to any excuse. You find a way to compete, you find a way to get better. I don’t want this in my staff, in my players. Find a way to do things better. Accept that we haven’t been good enough today and we have another chance in the next game to do things better.

“We are giving them the support and the videos to change the things we need to change.

“If I talk about (the referee) it sends the wrong message. It is what it is. Human beings. He makes mistakes, I make mistakes, fine. We have to go to QPR now and get the points. That’s what we have to do.”

Pelach told BBC Radio Stoke: “It’s a penalty for us, a red card, and then probably we win the game, so I’m disappointed.

“It would have been a great week with three wins, but we have to take the point, it is what it is, and don’t get frustrated.

“They (the officials) got it wrong. It’s clear, everyone has seen it. The job of the referee is not easy, we are all human beings and we make mistakes.

“They have apologised for the mistake. I have been in charge for 10 or 11 games here and it has happened three times to me now.

“I accept the apologies. We’re all human beings, I’m okay with that, it is what it is, and then hopefully one day it will go the other way.”

Millwall boss Neil Harris told BBC Radio London: “It’s an excellent point. The whole ground, and probably the whole football industry, thought ‘Millwall are 1-0 up, that’s how it’s going to finish’, but Stoke are a good side in a good moment.

“They caused a lot of problems in the middle third all game, but I think we had the better chances, so I’m delighted with a point.

“Ultimately it’s not just one game – I look at the week and the seven points in a week.

“For us to play Burnley and Leeds at home and come to Stoke, a ground where we’ve not done great at for a long time, it’s a fantastic week for us.”

Twitter users reacted with Stoke in disbelief as the referee apologises for not awarding a clear penalty in the draw with Millwall…

@L7Mullen: It’s OK though cos the ref apologised after the game

@Joewillscfc: absolutely criminal he’s missed that.

@timrichards2000: How do you not give a penalty there? Ref standards at all levels in this country need a complete overhaul

@MinsterMerch: Forget complicated VAR… One challenge per team… Ref watches the main camera angle.. would see a clear error and rectify it. Could be implemented all the way down to non-league…

@jtwknowles: Five hours later and I still can’t believe this decision. Absolutely baffling that none of the officials saw it. Obviously no guarantee we’d have scored the penalty or how the game would have gone from there, but blimey…one of the most blatant fouls you’ll ever see.

@Tombentleyscfc: Then books our player for protesting

@Becki_Baby: Here goes my blood pressure again seeing it in slow motion 📈🤯🤣

@fslconsult: One of the worst decisions I’ve seen for quite a while. Demote him to the PDSL. That would be a laugh actually

@robin1302: Absolutely blatant penalty, and a red card. People moan about VAR, but the world without it is even worse.

@StokeLoudProud: Ref should never officiate again for not giving that blatant penalty

@DASimmo: That’s an absolutely shocking decision and if EFL enforce the ban it actually does nothing to improve the credibility of referees, it just sends the message that teams will get punished twice for referees’ incompetence.

@ShaneHall_7: Absolutely disgusting this! @EFL get this ref out of the game!!!

@FIPotter2: That is genuinely one of the worst decisions I have ever seen.

@Ryan_Henshall5: @FA_PGMOL Another Apology?

@PNEPlug: How the fuck is the standard of officiating in England’s second division of football this bad? It’s an absolute fucking disgrace from the EFL and the FA

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