Former Premier League referee Graham Scott has admitted that players who go to ground are more likely to be awarded a penalty, acknowledging a long-standing frustration among players and fans.
Scott, who retired as a top-level referee at the end of the 2024/25 season, said on the Under The Cosh podcast that staying on your feet often means a foul is not given. The issue has led some players to deliberately go down, while others view such actions as simulation or diving.
Referee explains the dilemma
When asked about a recent example involving Sunderland's Brian Brobbey, who did not receive an obvious penalty after staying on his feet, Scott said: "There are some situations where if the player doesn't go down, they're not going to get a pen, it's as simple as that."
Scott added: "Brobbey is a very strong player, he would be difficult to ref as he also holds the other player a lot. Sometimes your assistant is telling you about holding by the other player and I say, 'Don't give anything because I can see the other player doing it from this side.'"
He continued: "You do get a lot of what we call mutual holding but that can also be a cop-out for not dealing with an actual foul. Clearly, if you stay on your feet, it's much less likely to be given."
New rules for the season
Scott also noted that a penalty is less likely to be accepted if the player is not on the deck. "It's like, 'Really, for that?' It works both ways," he said.
Ahead of the new season, several rule tweaks have been introduced, including a harder line on grappling and holding at set-pieces. Referees' chief Howard Webb said physicality must remain a feature of English football, but he believes there were too many instances of defenders dragging attackers to the ground last season that went unpunished.
Webb said: "I think fans can expect less warnings from referees [before fouls are given] than they might have seen previously, and I know [those warnings were] a source of frustration."
More penalties expected
Webb added: "[Fans can expect to see] more situations being penalised, but not only in August or September, throughout the season. I'm not going to commit to say we're going to go from here to penalising lots of contact. Contact's still part of the game."
He said: "We still maintain a high threshold, but I would imagine we'll be sat here this time next year and we'll be able to reflect on a season where more offences have been penalised. There'll be subtle actions that aren't penalised, which are all part of the game, we are looking at those clear actions that are clearly unfair."
