'I'm a former Premier League referee, I know our officials don't understand football'

Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey has fueled continued criticism of officials by admitting some “don't know the game” when analyzing the weekend's decisions. England's top flight saw another selection of contentious incidents over the course of nine matches on Saturday and Sunday.

And in the latest episode of The Sun's The Whistleblower, Halsey – Premier League referee from 1999 to 2013 – disagreed with two recent decisions made by the current crop.

The 63-year-old initially took issue with Samuel Barrott awarding Liverpool a winning penalty against Southampton on Sunday.

Mohamed Salah scored the second of his brace from the spot to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 advantage after a fizzing ball struck Yukinari Sugawara's arm in the box.

However, Halsey viewed the call as harsh, calling into question referees' current knowledge of football outside of the laws of the game.

“I thought it was a bit harsh [the Sugawara handball]. You can't run with your arms at your sides. You can’t jump with your arms at your side,” the 63-year-old explained.

“It fell from his chest onto his arm. They are in a natural position for that sentence of play. That's what I say about training our referees on incidents like the handball one.

“It's about knowing the game. It's good to know the laws of the game. It's about knowing football.”

Halsey then turned his attention to Andy Madley for choosing not to send off Wilfred Ndidi for a poor challenge on Cole Palmer during Chelsea's 2-1 win at Leicester City a day earlier.

The Foxes midfielder appeared to scrape his boots on Palmer's Achilles tendon, but Madley left viewers stunned by brandishing only a yellow card.

Halsey was among those in disbelief, describing Ndidi's reckless tackle as a threat to his career.

He said: “I thought it was a very, very bad challenge when I saw it again. In real time, Andy Madley didn't recognize the intensity of the challenge.

“I was surprised when the Premier League match center came out and said there was no intensity. It's good to know the laws of the game. It's about knowing the soccer.

“But I repeat, I said it earlier, when a player throws himself at an opponent in this way, with one or two feet, from the front, from the side, from behind, this must be sanctioned by a sanction serious foul play.

“It was the worst challenge of the weekend. And I was very, very surprised that Paul Tierney, the VAR, did not recommend a review.

“It was a career-threatening challenge. It's about the training and education of the VAR, when to go in and when not to go in.”