Tell us how you really feel mate
Neil Warnock was absolutely fuming after his Cardiff City side’s 2-1 defeat at home to Chelsea on Sunday.
The veteran coach was furious at what he perceived as poor officiating after Chelsea scored an 84th minute equaliser despite two of their players, including goalscorer Cesar Azpilicueta, were offside.
Chelsea then went on to win the game late on, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek securing all three points for the West Londoners in injury time.
Warnock was due to speak to Sky Sports after the game, but after a stand off with officials on the pitch after the game refused to conduct the interview due to being “too angry”.
He eventually did get in front of the cameras, and it was worth the wait, as he decried the Premier League’s refereeing as the “the worst” in the world.
“It’s the best league in the world but the worst officials,” he said.
😡 "It is the best league in the world with the worst officials"
Neil Warnock left fuming after Cardiff's 2-1 home defeat to Chelsea.
More: https://t.co/Yt9bMEL9FV pic.twitter.com/4KDKhb6OLm
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) March 31, 2019
“It’s almost like not a matter of who you play, but who you get in the middle and who has a flag.
“It’s alright making genuine mistakes but, at this level, it shouldn’t happen. Not when you put so much into a game.
“It’s a sickener. It’s soul destroying. My players feel like they have been kicked in the teeth. I don’t deserve officials like that today. There is no excuse for that, it’s criminal.
“Why am I working at 70 years of age for things like that to happen? It’s not very often I am lost for words. What goes through my mind? Is it payback time for me over the years?
“I had to go into the bathroom and bite my knuckles but I didn’t tell the lads that. If anyone was in doubt before today, VAR has to be the answer to help them out.”
“They’re all honest guys, aren’t they? They’re as disappointed as me, really. He’s saying Willian blocked his view, but it wasn’t a six inches – you should have been able to see he’s two yards offside. Not close,” he said.
Warnock then acknowledged the difficulty faced this season by Cardiff, whose record signing Emiliano Sala was killed in a plane crash just days after signing for the club in January.
The club are currently embroiled in a dispute with Sala’s former club, Nantes, over who was the club’s employer at the time of his death.
“It’s the most difficult season I’ve had, but I live to fight another day. Is it a £100 million mistake? I don’t know the figures.
“I think against Chelsea and Manchester City , we didn’t expect any points. But it will tell the other teams we play against that we won’t be rolled over like other teams.
“We could decide the Premier League. Man City away, Liverpool at home. We could decide it. So we can look forward to Manchester City away now. Some sadistic person has put that fixture in.”
