[edrooney]

Rob Styles, the referee in the Pool-Chelsea match having seen a replay of the non-incident, has stepped up and apologised.

While I applaud that, it's not enough. It's not like this was one of those decisions where a decision needs to be made, and it could go either way, and only on slowing down of the replay can you see that the decision was wrong. This was entirely wrong in every way, and nobody, at any speed, from any angle, could come to the conclusion that there should be a penalty.

While not in the laws of the game, it is generally considered - and I think rightly - that to give a penalty for a foul in the box, there needs to be a higher standard of 'evidence' of a foul. That mirrors the seriousness of the decision. If this decision had been given in midfield, there would have been a few annoyed people, me included, but no great inquest. In the box, it's a potentially game changing decision, so a higher burden of proof is required.

In the middle of the field, a referee can see a player on the floor, assume that a foul has occurred - or not - and whistle accordingly. Again, not the laws of the game, but generally accepted that this is what happens. Referees cannot personally see every incident where a player goes down - not in games that involve Chelsea certainly.

In the box, the referee absolutely has to positively see the foul to give the penalty. He has to see it, and it has to be conclusive, again because of the consequences of giving it. But countless replays, angles, and watching it live real time, there was nothing to see. So clearly he gave a penalty based on something that he thought he saw, or something he assumed to have happened. Neither of which is remotely acceptable.

This was such an egregious example of bad refereeing, and in an important game between two of the top teams in the league in the 'showpiece' game of the weekend. He should be suspended from refereeing in the EPL for at least 3 months, or until such time that he can give a reasonable explanation for giving the decision.

(It's possible that if it had been a different referee, my indignation would be lesser, as I've never been able to stomach Rob Styles, with his disastrous greasy hair and childcatcher smile.)