Al Fayed slams FA, Premier League and refs

Fulham chairman Mohamed Al Fayed last night launched a scathing attack on the bodies in control of English football, demanding a review of both refereeing practices and the decision-making process.

Al Fayed has spoken out after the recent 1-0 loss at Manchester United, where Danny Murphy was bundled over a minute from time but 27-year-old referee Michael Oliver waved away the penalty claims.

In a statement on the club’s website, Al Fayed said: “The FA’s problem in addressing this pivotal situation is that it has too much power.

“Where else can decision-makers (referees) escape all responsibility to admit serious and blatant errors and have the protesters (the football clubs involved) fined on charges of misconduct.

“The losses that we incur from such careless decisions have a huge impact and can have calamitous consequences.

“Referees are all too easily influenced by the more powerful clubs and individual owners and calls into question the integrity of both them, and the governing body they report to.”

Al Fayed has also urged the relevant bodies to immediately embrace video technology as he believes English football is lagging behind.

He said. “Lots of clubs are suffering from such stupid decisions. It is time for the Premier League to wake up. They have been in a coma for a long time.’’