Tottenham Hotspur attacking midfielder James Maddison came onto the pitch off the bench for the first time this season after an ACL tear late in the 2024/25 campaign, and he immediately gave Spurs real hope. In fact, had Jarred Gillet and the VAR team made the right call after clear contact in the box with Lukas Nmecha, Maddison may have even been the catalyst to a massive, potentially season saving three points for the Lilywhites.
Instead, Maddison is at the heart of a controversy, and though the Tottenham faithful have been quite boisterous about a series of horrendous calls that have gone against them all season long, Vinai Venkatesham, who certainly isn't beating the allegations that he is an Arsenal fan at heart, and the club have been surprisingly mum.
Maddison was not, and he made a post on social media respectfully pointing out the contact. Well, the fragile babies of the PGMOL are apparently insulted by even respectful disagreement, because they may think Maddison should be charged and punished for calling into question the integrity of the officials.
James Maddison could be punished
Former referee and PGMOL chief Keith Hackett told Football Insider, “This post will be reviewed by the FA Disciplinary Department, which will determine if it brings into question the integrity of the referee. If they decide that it does, he will be written to and asked for his observations, which then may result in a charge, and if found guilty, may result in a fine or suspension. In my opinion, it does question the match official’s integrity, and he should be charged, but watch this space.”
It would be an outrage for James Maddison to be punished for pointing out the obvious, and Tottenham Hotspur have a lot ot be aggrieved about this season. These calls have cost Spurs a lot of points in the relegation fight this season, and fans can't help but wonder if Spurs would be safe if a lot of these calls were made.
But the big problem is the fact that the refs in the Premier League can make major calls without accountability, explainig their thought process, or a legitimate review, and if you criticize them at all, you are at risk of being punished. It is like facing the wrath of a cartel, and it isn't just the Tottenham fan base that feels that way - pretty much everyone, except maybe set piece ping pong enthusiasts Arsenal, feel the same way.
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