Everton supporters disappointed over lack of answers from Howard Webb and PGMOL

An Everton supporter group has expressed frustration over a lack of answers about contentious decisions against the club.

The Fans’ Forum has been in contact with chief refereeing officer Howard Webb since approaching him back in January. Their letter expressed concern following a series of questionable decisions across the festive period.

Engagement followed before Webb responded in writing last month - though his letter was deemed underwhelming by the forum, which has now revealed its disappointment after seeking further answers.

READ MORE: 'I doubt it' - Pat Nevin asks Premier League points deductions question after Everton 'shambles'

READ MORE: 'Rise of the Toffees' - Sean Dyche makes Everton plea after new points deduction blow

The forum’s letter to Webb and the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) came after a run of controversial calls against Everton, including a red card shown to Dominic Calvert-Lewin that was later rescinded and penalty decisions in the games against Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur. At the time of the approach, the Blues were the only team in the Premier League not to have been awarded a spot kick.

Concerns included the use of technology to ‘re-referee’ incidents that the on-pitch officials had seen clearly. Webb said of such issues that “we have a high threshold for VAR intervention in place with the aim to create a consistent approach so the game knows and understands invariably when and where officials will intervene”.

Fears over an inconsistent application of the rules were also prevalent, with Spurs’ Dejan Kulusevski conceding a penalty against Brighton & Hove Albion for a foul that mirrored one on Amadou Onana days earlier but went unpunished. A contentious penalty against Onana for handball against Man City and the decision not to give Ibrahima Konate a second yellow at Anfield earlier in the season were also features of the letter sent to Webb, in which the forum said: “Ultimately, as football fans, we feel the way football matches are being officiated is having a negative impact on the enjoyment and love for our game. What we all want to see is greater transparency and a more consistent level of decision-making that is fair for all clubs.”

In March, Webb wrote back: "To provide some wider context, it’s worth reminding that all Key Match Incidents (KMIs) in the Premier League are considered as part of the Independent Key Match Incident (KMI) Panel process. The Independent KMI Panel is in its second year of implementation in the Premier League, and comprises: three independent panel members and one representative from the Premier League and PGMOL. The independent panel members invariably have significant experience of the game at the highest level both domestically and internationally, with this experience ensuring that the perspective and expectation of football fully features in the final outcomes issued to clubs."

Webb added: “We are always striving for the best possible performance from our officials – something which is continuously reviewed including, of course, technical performance. This process is supported by the work of the PGMOL coaching team and wider performance support team, with performance across a range of metrics used in a multi-disciplinary team review as well as informing the match official appointment process across the competitions that PGMOL provides a service to.”

That response frustrated members of the forum, who requested insight into the decisions in question by April 12 but said the group received no response from Webb or the PGMOL.

A spokesperson for the Fans’ Forum said: “On March 28 we received a response to our letter/meeting with PGMOL. We felt that this was generic and did not answer any of our concerns or questions. We requested a more detailed follow up by 5pm today [April 12]. We can confirm that no further correspondence has been received from PGMOL. We are severely disappointed by this especially after positive engagement by PGMOL. Evertonians have a right to feel let down by the lack of direct response to questions posed to PGMOL. We will continue to chase for a reply that Evertonians deserve.”