So far it has not been a good year for Premier League officials, at least as far as earning respect goes.
This time the altercation involves Aresenal captain Cesc Fabregas allegedly mouthing off to referee Lee Mason during Arsenal’s 2-1 win against Everton on Tuesday.
ESPNSoccernet.com reports that Fabregas supposedly verbally abused Mason with Arsenal down 1-0 at halftime. Apparently, Fabregas felt that Everton’s goal should not have been allowed to stand because the play was offside.
The day after his alleged diatribe, Fabregas defended himself and claims that he completely respects the decisions made by officials.
"There has been much talk about me saying things to the officials at halftime on Tuesday night," he said. "All I can say is that I have respect for all match officials. Their job is a very difficult one and their decisions are final."
Even though he did not deny that a dispute took place, Fabregas said that despite all of the hoopla his remarks have generated, “the officials feel that nothing serious happened, as I understand the referee has not included anything in his match report."
Everton manager David Moyes commented that he thought Fabregas should have been removed from the rest of the match due to his remarks.
“…Fabregas' comments to the officials when he was coming down the tunnel warranted a sending off," Moyes said. "It was disgusting. I am not going to repeat what they were. They were disappointing comments from someone who is such a talented footballer.”
