Refereeing technology failed at Tottenham for the third time this season on Sunday, leaving fans booing and the relegation scrap in chaos. The start of the second half of the match against Everton was delayed due to issues with radio communications between referee Michael Oliver and his assistants Stuart Burt and James Mainwaring.
Gary Neville Leads Criticism
Gary Neville led the criticism, saying on Sky Sports commentary: 'Honestly... what blows my mind is that they have had nearly 20 minutes to check it. The fans are booing and rightly so. This is not good enough.' The delay meant Spurs' game was no longer in sync with West Ham's, as the two sides battle for the final spot in next year's Premier League.
The fans, who had watched their side go 1-0 up in the first half through Palhinha, booed inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The technical issues were eventually fixed, but the disruption left a sour note.
Previous Incidents
This is not the first time such an issue has occurred. Back in February, a six-minute delay during the north London derby also sparked Neville's ire. That game was stopped after just seven minutes due to a technical error with the officials' communication system. Referee Peter Bankes made it clear to the players what was happening as a lengthy delay followed.
During that stoppage, Neville fumed: 'The game can't be stopped for two minutes because a linesman can't communicate with a referee. We did 100 years without it so we can play here. The whole crowd is now waiting because of an IT issue.' After a few more minutes, he continued: 'This is absolute nonsense. One of the most important games of the season, fantastic start to it, quick, and we are now two or three minutes stopped and they will have to warm up again, reset, an absolute shambles.'
He added: 'If they haven't got the common sense or authority or leadership to read the room here... 62,000 in the stadium, millions watching at home - do they really think it's that important? Put your flag up. If you need to make a decision, go and speak to him.'
