Burnley manager Vincent Kompany has criticized the standard of refereeing in the Premier League this season, stating that it “hasn’t been good enough.”
During the 2-2 draw at Chelsea on Saturday, referee Darren England showed Kompany a red card for protesting a penalty decision that resulted in defender Lorenz Assignon also being sent off.
Burnley has had six players sent off in 30 games this season, the highest number among Premier League teams.
Kompany said he is “not shying away” from giving feedback to officials and does not have “any issues with being fined”.
He said: “I’ve said it to the referees themselves – refereeing hasn’t been good enough this season.
“And I have said that in a constructive way, understanding as well the fact it’s not easy for them.
“The scrutiny is massive. The pressure is bigger than it’s ever been on the officials.
“The addition of VAR and more opinions and more officials doesn’t make it easy for them to do their jobs.”
Burnley currently sits second bottom of the table, trailing by four points from safety.
Assignon received a second yellow card just before half-time for fouling Mykhailo Mudryk, prompting Kompany to be sent to the stands due to his reaction.
Despite falling behind twice against Chelsea, Burnley managed to salvage a point with Dara O’Shea’s 81st-minute equalizer.
Kompany said that before this season he felt “common sense was always trying to be applied” by officials.
“You make a mistake and we all have a laugh about it and usually the traditional view is that it all evens itself out over the course of a season,” he said.
“This year I haven’t felt like this. Where we are in the league doesn’t really matter. I just want it to be right.”
Burnley host Wolves at Turf Moor on Tuesday.