'Come on' - O'Hara livid with Moyes controversy as it is 'what the Premier League’s about'

Everton boss David Moyes has been involved in controversy once again.

Moyes has not been afraid to air his thoughts on decisions that have gone against his side this season, which has caused a stir.

For example, he called out referees after Thierno Barry was not given a penalty in the 1-0 loss to Arsenal in December, while Fulham were the next evening for a similar decision.

The latest incident was when Moyes was booked for celebrating Beto’s 97th-minute equaliser in the 1-1 draw with Brighton.

What did O’Hara say about Brighton vs Everton controversy?

The general reaction has been that the punishment for the Everton boss was harsh, given that he is not usually an offender for going out of his technical area.

Jamie O’Hara agreed with that assessment, and believes that the Toffees boss should not have been awarded a yellow card for celebrating a last-minute goal.

Speaking on Sky Sports’ ref watch on 3 February, he said: “This is what the Premier League’s about. Moyes is celebrating a last-minute equaliser – come on!

“This is what iconic moments are about – you think about Sir Alex Ferguson when Steve Bruce scored, and he runs onto the pitch.

“Give them a slap on the wrist and speak to them like an adult, but to give them a yellow card for celebrating a massive goal, I just feel like that’s where the game’s letting itself down.

“We want this in football, and this is why people think we’re losing the game.”

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David Moyes vs the PGMOL shows no sign of ending

Moyes showed his frustration in his post-match press conference, criticising the referee’s decision to book him, and pretty much echoing what O’Hara said.

He said: “Imagine getting booked for that, imagine booking for celebrating, who wants to see managers getting booked for celebrating.

“They have got nothing about them at all, no thoughts about what football means to the managers, without absolutely just saying ‘no, you can’t step outside that line or I’ll book you’, [expletive] sad isn’t it.”

He is spot on, it is a shambles that he was punished for celebrating a goal like that, and it seems like all of the fun is being taken out of the game at the moment.

It is not like he was harassing the officials as the likes of Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta are often guilty of, he was simply releasing his emotion after a huge moment for his side.

Given his previous criticism of the PGMOL, it is likely that the war of words that the Blues boss is on against them will not end anytime soon, and will only continue before the end of the campaign.

He will hope that it does not affect the decisions that his side receives on the pitch, although surely they cannot get any worse than they already have been.

There is no sign of the tension ending between the two parties, but O’Hara is right, it was ridiculous that Moyes was cautioned for what happened, and the refereeing body needs to take a long hard look at themselves.

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