Punish referee for Chelsea game: Pogrebnyak

Moscow, August 24 (IANS/RIA Novosti):

Reading striker Pavel Pogrebnyak on Thursday added fuel to the fire regarding his team’s controversial defeat to Chelsea stating that the referee and linesmen from the match should be punished for making mistakes.

Pogrebnyak scored Reading’s first goal in Wednesday’s game, but the turning point came in the 81st minute, when Fernando Torres scored Chelsea’s third despite a clear off-side.

“In England this case has received a lot of publicity and penalties for the refereeing staff should follow,” he said.

The off-side goal could have been the result of a misguided attempt to let the game flow, he suggested.

“In England, referees often let [players] play, but unfortunately allow mistakes such as yesterday’s.”

Pogrebnyak spent the last four months of last season on loan at Fulham from German Bundesliga side VfB Stuttgart before signing last month for Reading, owned by Russian businessman Anton Zingarevich.

Pogrebnyak has 33 caps for Russia and was recalled to the Russia squad Thursday.