Stoke boss Mark Hughes says Martin Atkinson should not referee this weekend after failing to send off Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet

  • Simon Mignolet received just a yellow card after a blatant trip as the last man 
  • Referee Martin Atkinson has been criticised for not sending the goalkeeper off
  • Stoke boss Mark Hughes questions why the referee shouldn't pay for his mistake 
  • Atkinson is due to take charge of Watford's match against Tottenham 

Mark Hughes has questioned why Martin Atkinson still has a Premier League game this weekend after failing to send off Simon Mignolet against Stoke on Wednesday.

The Stoke manager believes Atkinson should face sanction for only booking Mignolet when the Liverpool goalkeeper brought down Mame Biram Diouf as last man.

The decision was widely regarded as incorrect and Hughes argued that given its significance, Atkinson, a Fifa-appointed official, should be taken off his Saturday assignment of Watford against Tottenham.

Stoke boss Mark Hughes does not think Martin Atkinson should referee this weekend

Stoke boss Mark Hughes does not think Martin Atkinson should referee this weekend

Atkinson failed to send off Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet for a blatant trip as last man 

Atkinson failed to send off Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet for a blatant trip as last man 

'It should be recognised that referees make mistakes,' Hughes said. 'I don't see why he should be refereeing this weekend.


'I thought that was part of the process, but clearly it isn't. If we make wrong decisions, or by our actions we are deemed to have made mistakes, we usually get pulled up by the FA, or the powers that be. 

'That doesn't seem to happen on too many occasions with referees.

'I didn't expect him not to have a game this weekend because he is viewed as one of the top referees.'

Hughes reinforced his belief that Mignolet should have been dismissed. 

The foul was outside the area and wide consensus judged Joe Gomez would have been unable to stop Diouf from sliding the ball into an empty net.

Mignolet admitted that he was risking a red card when he hacked down Mame Biram Diouf

Mignolet admitted that he was risking a red card when he hacked down Mame Biram Diouf

Mignolet even confessed to bringing down the Stoke forward on purpose to aid his team in a post-match interview with the BBC.

Hughes added: 'My feelings reflect everybody else's view, the ex-referees who reviewed it, and everybody in the stadium apart from one.

'It was a huge moment for us clearly because at that point we were in the ascendancy and needed a bit of help from the officials and didn't get it.

'Those are the decisions that frustrate me as a manager and other managers.

'Why it wasn't made I don't know. It was a pretty straightforward decision in my view.

'Every man and his dog said he should have been sent off. Just the moral situation demanded that because Mame would have tapped the ball into an empty net: 1-1, game on.'

Stoke players remonstrated with Atkinson after the referee only gave Mignolet a yellow

Stoke players remonstrated with Atkinson after the referee only gave Mignolet a yellow

Stoke are now in 16th, three points above the drop zone, and Hughes admitted Saturday's visit by Swansea had become 'must-win'. 

The situation only heightened his anger that his team eventually fell to a 3-0 loss to Liverpool.

'Performance-wise we were okay, but they brought the cavalry on and took the game away from us,' he said. 'It is very small margins in this league.

'For us we just need a fair run at being able to get the results we have to battle hard for.

'You don't want referees to get the big decisions wrong. I've said it for years and years. They directly affect the outcome of the game.

'That is the demand we should place on the so-called top referees because that' s why they have been able to navigate their way to the top.' 

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