Premier League to take no action over referee Jon Moss's 'sarky' comments
The Premier League will take no action against the referee Jon Moss after Bournemouth requested they investigate the conduct of the official during Sunday’s defeat to Sheffield United.
The league is understood to have spoken to Moss and the rest of the PGMOL match officials at Bramall Lane, as well as assessing audio from the referee’s microphone conversations with players, which is recorded for education and integrity purposes. The Football Association will also take no action.
The club did not submit a formal complaint but Bournemouth players felt Moss mocked them during the game, with the midfielder Dan Gosling accusing the referee of showing “zero respect” and making alleged “sarky” comments towards him and his teammates.
Moss will remain in contention to referee any future Bournemouth games this season and is expected to be available to officiate in the next round of fixtures. Bournemouth are disappointed at the response from the Premier League, but stand by Gosling’s claims, while the FA will not take any action against the midfielder, who described Moss as a “disgrace”.
Gosling was one of at least two players who claim to have heard Moss make reference to Bournemouth’s delicate position in the table, with Eddie
Howe’s side 16th, sitting two places and two points above the relegation zone.
The club made the Premier League aware of its grievances on Tuesday via Simon Morgan, the former Fulham defender who works as a conduit between clubs and the Premier League in his role as head of football relations.
“The officials talk about respect at the start of the season and there was zero respect from Jon Moss,” Gosling told the Daily Echo after Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at Bramall Lane.
“I thought he was a disgrace. The comments that he made especially to me and one other player – talking about the relegation zone and ‘you’re still in the relegation zone’, ‘you’re having one’, ‘your team’s having one’ this and that – and it was very, very disrespectful. I thought it was very disrespectful what he was saying.”
Asked if the alleged comments were made during the match, Gosling said: “During the game, yeah. I think he [Moss] should really come out and apologise because I thought he was a disgrace.”