Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior says he intends to speak to the referees’ body Professional Game Match Official Limited about Paul Tierney positioning himself in the middle of the Blues’ huddle before Saturday’s game against Newcastle.
Referee Tierney was standing over the ball prior to kick-off but did not move away as Chelsea players gathered around him for their pre-match huddle, much to the bemusement of some of the Blues’ starting XI.
Cole Palmer jokingly wrapped his arms around Tierney before staring quizzically at the official, who merely smiled back at the England international as Trevoh Chalobah and Enzo Fernandez watched on in amusement.
“I’ll be speaking to PGMOL and the refs to get an understanding of why that happened today,” Rosenior said after Saturday’s 1-0 defeat. “We were told that in the rulebook you can be where you want and it’s about timing.
“I’m disappointed. I’m going to make it clear. I want to protect my players and I’m respectful to the game.
“Before the game we had a meeting with the referee. My assistant goes in and the first thing [Tierney] talks about is our huddle. We’re not being disrespectful to the opposition.”
Former Premier League assistant referee referee Darren Cann told BBC Sport he had never seen anything as strange “in 50 years of watching football”.
But Cann was able to shed some light on the incident, saying: “As it was Newcastle‘s kick-off, the referee [took] control of the ball on the halfway line and was there to prevent any potential issues.
“When it is their kick-off, there is no particular issue. However, when their opponents have to kick off, there is potential for confrontation.”
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe, meanwhile, said the incident had “absolutely zero relevance to me”.
Howe added: “I was totally non-fussed by it. I don’t pay any attention to things like that. It’s not going to help us win or lose the game.”
