Referee Named For Man Utd vs Chelsea Clash: More Controversy To Follow?

Howard Webb has been named as the man to take charge of Manchester United clash with Chelsea at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.

While Webb may be regarded as England’s top official and one of the best in Europe after taking charge of the 2010 World Cup final, he is still no stranger to controversy – particularly when he’s officiated United games.

Back in 2011, Webb refereed United’s FA Cup clash against Liverpool at Old Trafford and controversially awarded the home side a penalty and sent off Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard during a 1-0 win for Sir Alex Ferguson’s men.

Liverpool attacker Ryan Babel famously posted the above image of Webb in a United shirt on Twitter after the game, saying:

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

Babel later became the first footballer to be censured for comments made on a social networking site when he was found guilty of improper conduct by the FA and fined £10,000. This was the last time Webb officiated a United FA Cup game at Old Trafford until last month when he was appointed to oversee United’s quarter final tie with Chelsea, which passed off without incident in a 2-2 draw.

Webb also once clashed with former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho for disallowing a Salomon Kalou goal against Blackburn back in 2007. The Portuguse coach promptly demanded an apology from the referee but was left waiting.

With Chelsea currently desperate for points as they battle to secure a top-four finish, they wont be happy to learn that Man Utd have won 13 and lost just one of the 15 Premier League games that Webb has taken charge of at Old Trafford.

Hopefully we will be talking about a great football match on Monday morning and not more controversial refereeing decisions!

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