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Viewers slam referee over Josh Koroma’s ‘outrageous’ tackle during Huddersfield v Stoke

Viewers have taken to slam referee Gavin Ward’s decision over Josh Koroma’s ‘outrageous’ tackle during Huddersfield v Stoke on Friday.

Fans tuning into the televised Sky Sports game were left aghast at the call NOT to send off Josh Koroma after he had caught Potters defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis with his studs despite being nowhere near the ball.

A throw-in was given and Koroma scored the first goal of the Championship fixture right afterward when his shot took a massive deflection and nestled in Stoke’s net in front of a baffled away support.

Replays of the tackle do not bear watching with Koroma clearly catching Manchester City loanee Harwood-Bellis on the knee.

Sky Sports pundits slammed the decision from Ward to not even blow up for a foul with supporters universally condemning the lack of action from the referee.

Jobi McAnuff: “It was a terrible tackle. I’ve got to give some context; I do know him and it is completely out of character. I did think, when I saw it in real-time, that it was a dangerous tackle and it just gets worse the more you see it.

“The referee seems to have a really good view and I’m not quite sure how he misses it completely. Certainly from Stoke’s point of view, they can be rightly aggrieved that it wasn’t a red.”

Andy Hinchcliffe: “This is where the referee has to be strong. It is not about the injury sustained or the Stoke players having a go at him. He has got to judge the challenge on what he saw, but that is really naughty.

“That is a horrible challenge. The foot is high, he catches his man and he should be off.”

Huddersfield’s Carlos Corberan said post-match: “I think the team competed well in the first half and made a good high press, recovering the ball and creating enough chances to deserve the result. Physically, we couldn’t keep the intensity that we needed to keep being the same team that we were in the first half.

“For me, in the second half, we didn’t manage to move the ball into the offensive half to be as aggressive as we had been in the first half.”

Stoke’s Michael O’Neill: “I think it would have been incredibly unjust for us not to take something from the game. I thought we did enough to win it. Some of the decisions that were given against us beggar belief, to be honest. I thought, in the second half, we were brilliant and had a good reaction to going behind. We played a good team tonight.

“Under no circumstances should Josh Koroma have been on the pitch. The tackle is knee-high on Taylor. It is a straight-leg tackle and how the referee can miss that, I just don’t know. It is a really, really dangerous tackle. It was a clear penalty, too. I have watched all the incidents back. Tyrese comes on the blind side of the defender, gets to the ball first, the defender gets none of the ball and the referee just waves play-on. It is just really poor refereeing, if I’m honest.”

As mentioned, viewers took to slam the referee over Josh Koroma’s ‘outrageous’ tackle during Huddersfield v Stoke…

@simonbass10: Cos Gavin ward is the ref 😂😂😂😂

@makempete: Some of these officials. What on earth are they looking at. Similar to Chris Maguire on Carl Winchester. Another player who should have seen red.

@hillamrichard: Been watching @htafc over 40 years, first time I’ve seen a ref on our side! #UTFT

@bwfc714: These are the incidents that VAR was designed for. Clear and obvious errors by officials, not spending 4 minutes forensically examining offside lines and minimal contact fouls. This was a clear red card and ref missed it.

@adam_bucky: Horrible cowards tackle, got to be a retrospective red card, surely?

@baxiboy0406: I’ve seen this referee many times he’s as bad as they get. Sometimes he’s just staring at stonewall penalties and not giving them. This is just another level down. Players will get hurt.

@brianken74: This ref is a danger to footballers

@pne_jamie: The referee should be interviewed by Sky post math and he can explain how exactly he missed that and didn’t act accordingly

@the_hoyle: Gavin Ward ladies and Gentleman!! At least he is being called out on sky now and not just on twitter every week #NotFitToReferee @EFL

@glennentwistle: It’s only a matter of time before someone gets seriously injured on this guys watch @EFL week in week out he is abysmal, across the board.

@Rhigallimorexo: Can we also mention the fact that he didn’t even book him…

@philwallace2006: Gavin ward had to be didnt it…. not fit to ref any efl games a embarrassment regularly to English referees and should be accountable not acceptable what so ever

@nickoliver71: Can’t remember a week go by without a number of Horrendous refereeing decisions in the Championship. I know it’s a thankless job but after all it is there job and I’m sure if anyone of us constantly made such bad decisions in our profession. we would be out the door.

@danspencerddd: Standard in the league is utter tripe. Playing for the most lucrative prize in club football and the refs aren’t Sunday league standard.

@PhilPicton1: This league is 1 below the prem. 3 teams will be in the prem next year, but yet the @FA don’t seem to do anything about the embarrassing standard of refereeing in the @SkyBetChamp. Shambles of a organisation

@robkendall79: That is a disgusting decision @EFL! Sort your bloody referees out! They’ve been awful all season

@TNYKN: And yet Gavin Ward still gets the big TV games… mans stealing a living

@Heronman68: For those of us who watch @EFL games week in week out, this quality of reffing, or lack of, is what we see all the time. It makes no sense how this isn’t a red. Something has to happen, but what will the #EFL do to improve it?

@eire_gooner: As bad as the challenge is, if the ref doesn’t see it properly, he can’t just presumptively send a player off. Respect him for not getting drawn in my player reaction but fuck me that’s a bad tackle

@paul_blagrove: Refs in England are awful. How can you be looking at that straight on and think it’s a fair tackle. Embarrassing

@catterallwhite: Another game another clueless championship referee. Standard @EFL

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