Referee Announced For Man Utd – Chelsea Game: More Controversy To Come?

Howard Webb has been announced as the referee to oversee Manchester United’s FA Cup quarter final clash with Chelsea on Sunday at Old Trafford.

While Webb may be regarded as England’s top official and one of the best in Europe, he has still drawn much controversy over the years when he’s officiated United games.

The most famous coming back in 2011 when he was appointed as referee for United’s FA Cup clash with Liverpool at Old Trafford when Webb controversially awarded United a penalty and sent off Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard during a 1-0 win for Sir Alex Ferguson’s men.

After the game, former Liverpool winger Ryan Babel posted a picture on Twitter of Webb wearing a United shirt with the accompanying comment:

‘And they call him one of the best referees? That’s a joke. SMH [shaking my head].’

Babel was later found guilty of improper conduct by the FA and fined £10,000, becoming the first footballer to be censured for comments made on Twitter. This was the last time Webb refereed an FA Cup game at Old Trafford so no doubt all eyes will be on him this weekend.

But after the controversial events of Tuesday night that overshadowed a superb Champions League tie between Man Utd and Real Madrid, the last thing we want to be doing is talking about the referee’s decisions again after this weekend’s game.