Edwin van der Sar is still not over Rob Styles’ decision to award a penalty against him when he brought down Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink yards outside the penalty area – wryly suggesting that the nation should enjoy the official’s stewardship of the forthcoming FA Cup final.
The Dutch goalkeeper showed a subtle sense of humour as he told Fulham’s official website:
“It’s going to be great fun I think, to watch the FA Cup Final with this referee. I don’t know what’s going on with him but I wish him the best of luck for the Cup Final, and I hope he does a better job than the last two games. Players are allowed to have a poor game and probably the referee also, but it was quite important decisions that he got wrong.
I am definitely sure that my left foot was outside the box, otherwise I would have tried to catch the ball. The referee didn’t know and the linesman was standing 40 yards away, and normally when he knows it’s a penalty he runs towards the touchline. But he didn’t know and I think when there’s doubt you don’t give a penalty. It’s just a bad decision from the referee and I think he made more mistakes.”
