CALL ME STUPID, PLEASEKop boss blames Blues for ref's blunder
By David Anderson
By David Anderson
24/08/2007
Rafael Benitez last night called for John Terry and his Chelsea team-mates to be banned for hounding blunder ref Rob Styles.
The angry Liverpool boss believes the Chelsea players pressurised Styles into wrongly awarding the Blues the penalty for their equaliser at Anfield with their behaviour during the match.
Benitez is annoyed because Premiership managers had agreed at a meeting before the start of the season not to badger officials and claims the Football Association must now step in.
He believes the FA should use video evidence to punish Terry and Co for deliberately putting pressure on Styles to make decisions in their favour.
Benitez, who could be without Steven Gerrard for 10 days because of his broken toe, claims this is the only way to hammer home the message that they can't unfairly influence officials.
Benitez is still furious at being robbed of two points and re-opened his war of words with Chelsea, saying: "People talk about technology and you could watch the video and see which players are pushing and pushing the referee to take a decision.
"The referee is in a very difficult situation and he was under pressure all the time from different players, big-name players, and it's difficult for a person to be calm and do the right thing all the time.
"I think if you used the video for disciplinary issues, it would be much better because all the players would know to be careful otherwise tomorrow they could be on TV and banned for three games.
That's important and it would then be easier for the referees. Every year it has been the same for the last 10 years and every year we talk about technology and refereeing.
"It's difficult to find a solution, but if you used the video evidence, and the players knew they would be suspended, then it would be easier for the referees." Benitez has accepted Styles' apology and claims Chelsea cynically piled the pressure on to him until he cracked.
He says this is in contrast to his approach and he tells his players before every game to respect the officials. "All the meetings we have are to try and help the referees to do the right things during the game and not to put them under pressure - players, managers, everyone," he said.
"But this is football and you have passion and it's not easy, but you must try to do these things.
Normally I say to the players to try to be nice and do the right things.
"So I was surprised the other day because far too many players weren't doing that. I've not seen a lot of our players doing that during the last few years and you saw another team taking profit from the situation.
"That is the reason why for me it is important to support the referee." Benitez has forgiven Styles and insists he does not have a problem with the Hampshire official taking charge of the Reds again.
"I don't have any problems with him," he said. "I can understand that referees can make mistakes. He apologised and it's OK.
"I know I can trust referees here. They are nice people and they are honest. But if they are under pressure, we must try and support them rather than just push and push."
The angry Liverpool boss believes the Chelsea players pressurised Styles into wrongly awarding the Blues the penalty for their equaliser at Anfield with their behaviour during the match.
Benitez is annoyed because Premiership managers had agreed at a meeting before the start of the season not to badger officials and claims the Football Association must now step in.
He believes the FA should use video evidence to punish Terry and Co for deliberately putting pressure on Styles to make decisions in their favour.
Benitez, who could be without Steven Gerrard for 10 days because of his broken toe, claims this is the only way to hammer home the message that they can't unfairly influence officials.
Benitez is still furious at being robbed of two points and re-opened his war of words with Chelsea, saying: "People talk about technology and you could watch the video and see which players are pushing and pushing the referee to take a decision.
"The referee is in a very difficult situation and he was under pressure all the time from different players, big-name players, and it's difficult for a person to be calm and do the right thing all the time.
"I think if you used the video for disciplinary issues, it would be much better because all the players would know to be careful otherwise tomorrow they could be on TV and banned for three games.
That's important and it would then be easier for the referees. Every year it has been the same for the last 10 years and every year we talk about technology and refereeing.
"It's difficult to find a solution, but if you used the video evidence, and the players knew they would be suspended, then it would be easier for the referees." Benitez has accepted Styles' apology and claims Chelsea cynically piled the pressure on to him until he cracked.
He says this is in contrast to his approach and he tells his players before every game to respect the officials. "All the meetings we have are to try and help the referees to do the right things during the game and not to put them under pressure - players, managers, everyone," he said.
"But this is football and you have passion and it's not easy, but you must try to do these things.
Normally I say to the players to try to be nice and do the right things.
"So I was surprised the other day because far too many players weren't doing that. I've not seen a lot of our players doing that during the last few years and you saw another team taking profit from the situation.
"That is the reason why for me it is important to support the referee." Benitez has forgiven Styles and insists he does not have a problem with the Hampshire official taking charge of the Reds again.
"I don't have any problems with him," he said. "I can understand that referees can make mistakes. He apologised and it's OK.
"I know I can trust referees here. They are nice people and they are honest. But if they are under pressure, we must try and support them rather than just push and push."
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