Referee Graham Poll walked from the
Goodison Park pitch with the home fans howling ``cheat'' at the
World Cup official as Arsenal booked their place in the Carling Cup
quarter-finals.
Poll enraged Everton supporters for sending off James McFadden
after just 18 minutes of the tie, which was settled by Emmanuel
Adebayor's 85th-minute header.
Television replays seemed to suggest that Poll was telling Everton
players that McFadden had called him a cheat, even though the
Scottish forward is understood to have denied that accusation to
his team-mates in the dressing room.
But with Poll involved in controversy already following his
handling of Chelsea's defeat at Tottenham and his dismissal of John
Terry, the locals were not going to give him an inch.
But Poll was then thrust into the spotlight when Andrew Johnson
fell in the box under pressure from three defenders, with Philippe
Senderos looking to have committed the foul.
Poll waved away penalty appeals and Goodison Park erupted in anger.
McFadden clearly said far too much for Poll's liking as he raced
past the referee, who instantly produced a red card and Everton
were down to 10 men.
Poll has now issued 66 yellow and three red cards this season, and
this latest incident is also certain to be heavily
scrutinised.
Yet again a referee has managed to steal
the limelight in a game that should be all about the players. We
now have too many arrogant officials who delight, it seems, in
putting themselves to the fore. Graham Poll is certainly at the
very top of the list
