Nuno Espirito Santo is being investigated by the FA after criticizing English referee Lee Mason’s performance.
Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo was visibly frustrated after his team’s 2-1 defeat against Burnley on Monday. On his post-match interview, Nuno told Sky Sports the “referee does not have the quality to whistle a game in the Premier League.”
The manager went on to explain that he wasn’t referring to any situation in particular, but his overall behavior on the pitch. Nuno believes Lee Mason doesn’t know how to control the players.
“It is not about the crucial mistakes or the decisions, it is about the way that he handles the game,” he claimed. “The players get nervous. Too many voices. He whistles by the voices when some players shout. He does not control the players. The players are constantly arguing, both teams. With all the other referees, the game flows, the decisions are accepted, there is dialogue.”
The interviewer went on to ask the Portuguese manager what Lee Mason could do to improve his performance. However, Nuno wasn’t interested in giving the referee another chance.
“I just don’t want to see him more. That is what I told him. I hope that he does not whistle a game of ours again because all of the games that we have with Lee Mason are the same.”
The FA contacted Wolves about Nuno’s remarks.
Nuno Espirito Santo confirmed on his pre-match press conference that Wolves have received a communication from the FA. However, the Wolves boss stands by what he said.
“I think I should apologize first of all, for the timing of my comments. They probably were not in the best moment because sometimes it can lead to bad interpretations. But I will not apologize on my words and my thoughts. I will never judge or question the integrity of a referee. What I said is about the ability of the referee. What I felt and what I saw on the previous matches.”
Nuno also clarified why he claimed Lee Mason wasn’t good enough to officiate a match in the Premier League.
“The referees need to be confident, to maintain their authority on the pitch. They need to control, to handle the players and the game. We want referees to improve because we as managers have to improve. Every time Wolves doesn’t perform I’m the first one to admit it and we didn’t perform so well. We want to be in the best competition, with the best managers, players and referees.”
Wolves will take on Tottenham on Sunday as they’ll try to end the year in the top 10 of the Premier League table.
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