Bournemouth

Eddie Howe open to referees explaining decisions, but understands difficulty

By Danielle Joynson, Staff Reporter | 20 August 2015

Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe tells Sports Mole that he would like referees to explain decisions, but understands why it would be difficult to put into practice.

Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has claimed that he would like referees to explain the reasons behind contentious decisions after a match, but understands how it could impact negatively on their job.

The 37-year-old was left fuming on Monday night when match official Craig Pawson disallowed Tommy Elphick's goal against Liverpool and later granted Christian Benteke's strike, despite Philippe Coutinho being offside when the ball was played.

The new rule states that any player who is impacting play when standing in an offside position should be flagged, but that did not come into force during Bournemouth's 1-0 defeat to the Reds.

When asked by Sports Mole if it should be common practice for referees to explain their decisions after games, Howe said: "I do understand why it would be difficult from their perspective to do that - you'd end up having to justify every call you've made in the game, and some decisions are 50/50, refereeing is not black and white.

"So, as much as I would like that, we also have to look at their perspective and make sure that their role is doable, so I'm not sure on that one."

Howe has contacted referees' chief Mike Riley, but is yet to receive clarification.