Harry Maguire calls for Premier League overhaul over 'ridiculous' penalties
- Premier League season marred by various officiating controversies
- Harry Maguire spoke on refereeing issues after England's draw with North Macedonia
- Rico Lewis conceded soft penalty on Monday night
By Sean Walsh
Manchester United defender Harry Maguire wants Premier League referees to make it harder for teams to be awarded penalties.
Questionable officiating and VAR decisions have underpinned the season so far, and such controversy has spilled over from club football into the international game.
During England's 1-1 draw at North Macedonia on Monday night, Maguire's blushes were spared when the referee did not award a penalty for a barge on Eljif Elmas, but debutant Rico Lewis conceded a spot-kick after a VAR check when his arm brushed the face of Bojan Miovski when challenging for a header.
Speaking to the press post-match, Maguire lambasted referees for making defender's lives harder due to the low bar set when it comes to awarding penalties in the modern game.
"For me, penalties in the last six months to a year or so, especially in the Premier League...all over the world, really, the Champions League...they are given for anything," he said.
"They are so soft. They are making life so hard for defenders to defend the way it should be.
"You should be able to defend. You should be able to move your arm, you should be able to move your body. You should be able to make contact, you should be able to move your hands and get there. There's far too many soft penalties given at the moment."
Maguire added: "The threshold of giving penalties definitely needs to change. And I think the Premier League, the biggest league in the world, needs to start it. They need to come up with something because I've seen some penalties in the Premier League since the start of this season which, for me, are just ridiculous.
"It's not just at my club. Watching them each weekend, I see them given for handballs where I don't know where lads are supposed to put their arms...[or] minimal contact. It's a contact sport. So starting with the biggest league in the world, they need to set the standard and the threshold needs to be a little bit higher than it is at the moment."
Maguire returns to club action this weekend when United make the trip to Everton on Sunday afternoon. The 30-year-old has worked his way back into Erik ten Hag's starting line up this season following an injury to Lisandro Martinez.
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