Hull want an investigation into claims a
third party was behind ref Steve Bennett's decision to overturn a
late penalty against Aston Villa.
Bennett initially awarded Hull an injury-time spot-kick
when he though Ashley Young had handled the ball on the line, but
then changed his mind after talking to his assistant Andy Halliday,
who correctly told him the ball had struck the bar.
But there are now claims a third party illegally used video
replays and the officials' earpieces to advise them, and that has
angered Tigers chairman Paul Duffen.
"All we are saying is that the events bring into question who
exactly did influence the referee," Duffen said in the Daily
Mail.
"I would like a report from the match officials and confirmation
of who was talking in the earpiece. There is a concern that
somebody (else) was using video evidence."
Premier League rules do not allow third party influence or the
use of video replays.
"I have spoken to the Premier League's chief executive Richard
Scudamore and he assured me he will ask some questions and come
back to me," Duffen added.
"We are most concerned about the integrity of the competition
and that some form of video evidence isn't being introduced by
officials on a discretionary basis."
Duffen does not deny that the decision not to award the penalty
was correct, but was concerned by the manner in which the officials
reached their decision.
"Once Steve Bennett had awarded the penalty - and he is not
known as a referee who is easily swayed - he didn't have any doubt
about the decision," he said.
"We don't see any way the linesman could have had a view of it
and he did not attract the referee's attention at all.
"But at the point Bennett went across to talk to (Halliday), the
linesman was obviously listening to someone in his earpiece while
Bennett was standing next to him.
"It did look to all who were there as if the linesman was
relaying information he was getting in his earpiece from somewhere
else in the ground."
A Premier League spokesman told the Mail that video screens have
been removed from technical areas so that replays cannot be
seen.
"The assistant communicated with Steve Bennett his view of the
incident and as a result of that he has made the correct decision,"
the spokesman said. "As part of the 'Get on with the Game'
programme, screens have been removed from the technical area so
there is no access to video replays."
