Tony Pulis Questions PGMOL Over Officiating of Set-Pieces

Veteran football manager Tony Pulis has voiced concerns over the state of officiating in English football, focusing on the chaotic scenes in the penalty area during set-plays In an analysis for BBC Sport, Pulis describes frequently witnessing incidents at corners where large groups of players from both teams surround the six-yard box and the goalkeeper He highlights that he has repeatedly seen defending players holding attacking players around the waist without looking at the ball being delivered, an action he states is unequivocally a foul that should result in a penalty kick

Pulis argues that refereeing has reached a point where officials must "clamp down" and decisively award either penalties or free-kicks to the defending team when they see an offence in the box He directs a pointed question at Howard Webb, the head of Professional Games Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), asking what specific instructions are being given to referees regarding these situations Pulis points out a significant inconsistency in officiating, noting that players are penalised for fouls outside the penalty area that are "nowhere near as blatant as the chaos" currently being permitted in the six-yard box during set-pieces This discrepancy in rule application, he suggests, is a pressing issue for match officials to address