Phil Dowd privately admits decision to award Wayne Rooney a penalty for Man United against Preston was a mistake as referee standards row rumbles on
The debate over refereeing standards in the Barclays Premier League has taken a new twist after it emerged Phil Dowd has admitted to getting his decision wrong in the Wayne Rooney penalty incident at Preston North End.
Officials in the top flight are under more scrutiny than ever as the season approaches a crucial stage with Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho piling on the pressure after the controversial sending-off of Nemanja Matic in the game against Burnley at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
And now Sportsmail can reveal that Dowd – one of the game’s top referees – has admitted privately that he got the week’s other big controversial call wrong when he awarded Rooney a late penalty after he fell under a challenge from Preston goalkeeper Thorsten Stuckmann at Deepdale last Monday.
Rooney was criticised by many for allegedly diving after he had hurdled Stuckmann’s challenge late in Manchester United’s 3-1 win in the FA Cup. It was argued that the United captain had received no contact from the Preston goalkeeper and should have been booked.
Dowd awarded the penalty – that Rooney scored – without hesitation but it is now understood that he has told a colleague that he realised after analysing the post-match video that he had got it wrong.
A source told Sportsmail: 'Phil said that he was adamant at the time that he had got the decision right.
'But he is a very honest bloke and, like all referees, he looks back on his games on TV.
'With this one, he has realised that he probably shouldn’t have awarded a penalty. It was a mistake.'
The incident was so tough to call at the time that it split the game’s pundits with Stan Collymore calling Rooney a cheat but Jamie Carragher and Gary Lineker both suggesting that penalty may have been the right call.
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