Sylvain Distin defends Fellaini in head-butt row
Everton defender Sylvain Distin believes referees should do more to stop “wrestling” at set pieces, in the wake of Marouane Fellaini’s head-butt on Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross.
The Toffees’ midfielder apologised after the game for his actions after the game, but may face a retrospective ban as referee Mark Halsey missed the incident.
The Belgian went on to bemoan the lack of protection players receive from officials, a stance that team-mate Distin reiterated:
“It’s wrestling, it was tough. It was difficult to run through, they just catch you all the time and grab you.” He is quoted by The Metro.
“I think the ref could have a better look at it. But that is football and it’s going to happen when you come to a place like Stoke.”
The French defender went on to call upon an incident in which his team conceded a penalty against Manchester City as a prime example of the issue:
“There is just no consistency. That is the problem as a player. Sometimes you get grabbed or blocked and it is not a penalty.
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‘Then you see what happened against City when the ref gave them a penalty, and you think ‘there should be a penalty every week’.
‘There is no consistency so it’s a bit frustrating when it’s not going your way.”