Leeds United v Preston referee decision will baffle Daniel Farke – formal apology already sent for past error
A contentious call during Leeds United’s December trip to Preston infuriated the team.
John Busby, who was unable to dismiss Ben Whiteman for a terrible challenge in the rematch earlier this season, has been confirmed by the EFL to officiate Saturday’s match between Leeds United and Preston.
After a late and careless attack on Jayden Bogle during December’s fierce 1-1 draw, Leeds were left completely baffled by Busby’s decision to not issue Whiteman a second yellow card at the very least. Daniel Farke had been booked for his protests in the dugout, and the midfielder could have been sent off for his cruel trip of Brenden Aaronson just four minutes earlier.
At halftime, Paul Heckingbottom removed his aggressive midfielder, which was as obvious a suggestion as any he was fortunate to keep, before acknowledging he could understand Leeds’ frustration. Graham Smyth, the head football writer for YEP, awarded Busby a 2/10 in his post-match evaluation, stating that the referee was in danger of losing control, missed fouls for both teams, and was unable to stop time-wasting.
Most people agreed that Whiteman should have been sent off, and former referee Dermot Gallagher even suggested that the second tackle should have been a straight red in and of itself. Insisting that the “nasty foul” deserved at least a yellow card, Farke used the midfielder’s dismissal at halftime as evidence that Heckingbottom was aware of this.
Leeds vs Preston referee confirmed
Following that incident, the PGMOL sent Leeds another formal letter of apology. According to Leeds Live, Busby himself wrote to the club to admit that he had made a mistake. Although he hasn’t refereed a Whites game since, he will be present at Elland Road on Saturday for the rematch.
With Lewis Smith serving as the fourth official between the dugouts and Ma
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Russell and Matthew Smith as his assistants, the EFL has confirmed that Busby will preside over Saturday’s crucial Championship match. Furthermore, Farke was not inclined to publicly criticize the referee in December, but if important calls are missed once more, his return for another possibly combative match may be a major discussion point.
In a 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough on Tuesday, Farke was incensed when two perfectly decent Leeds goals were mistakenly disallowed for offside. Actually, the same assistant who had incorrectly written off goals against Millwall and Coventry City disallowed the first, from Ao Tanaka, bringing his total number of serious mistakes against the Whites to three in eight weeks.
“I’m really struggling to find proper words for having the same assistant ruling out three good goals in eight weeks for offside,” Farke said. “I could put up with them if they were hard to see. Why do we still send this assistant to Leeds United games? You should eventually protect him if he is there by accident and has committed errors against us. I’m not sure why he always acts as our helper and disqualifies goals that ought to remain in place. Millions of pounds, a trip to the Premier League, is the huge prize we are aiming for.
