Former PL referee explains why Black Cats’ penalty call was wrong

A former Premier League referee has said that Sunderland's controversial penalty against Luton Town at the Stadium of Light, on Saturday, should not have been awarded.

Chris Foy ran through some of the contentious decisions from the EFL weekend as part of the Sky Sports 'Behind the Whistle' feature, and said that while there was contact from Amari'i

Bell on Amad as the forward broke into the box, it was not enough to warrant the award of a penalty.

Referee Scott Oldham initially did not make the decision, but pointed to the spot after consulting with the linesman.

Amad went on to convert the penalty and secure a 1-1 draw for his side.

"There is certainly a pull on the arm of the Sunderland

attacker as he enters the box, however this is a fleeting action and not sustained, so does not meet the required threshold for penalising a holding offence," Foy said.

"A certain amount of contact is allowed in the game, I think the attacking player possibly slips at the end, rather than being clearly prevented from progressing as a consequence of the actions of the defending player, which makes the decision a more complex one for the referee.

"However, allowing play to continue would have been the best outcome in this situation."

Luton Town boss Rob Edwards criticised the decision after the game, stating that the contact should not have been enough to warrant a penalty.

Edwards said: "The linesman felt there was a pull, there is contact between both of their arms but I don't think there was a pull and I don't think it would send the player the other way.

"It's a really tough one for us to take, and I'll say it again, I know it is difficult and these events happen fast."

Mowbray said that some fortune for his side was due, after Sheffield United's offside goal was allowed to stand earlier in the week.

"Whether it was a penalty or not, ultimately it was given," he said.

"We've had enough bad decisions go against us, going back to midweek there, so you take them when they come, we scored and we take the point and move on.

"We didn't deserve to lose."