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Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo said referee Lee Mason “is not good enough” after his team’s 2-1 loss to Burnley.
It’s the second time Mason has umpired the Wolves this season and Nuno says it’s a “point of distraction” and “worsens the flow of the game.”
“It’s his job, he has to improve, he has to improve,” he told BBC Sport.
The Portuguese added: “Soccer is a physical game, a contact game and the referees make the decisions and they are fair, but the referee is not good enough to whistle, Lee Mason is not good enough. He is just not good enough. Okay.
“The way he handles the game, it’s not about the important and crucial decisions, it’s the way he handles the players, both teams lose focus, they are always discussing the decision.
“He must improve because the game requires good refereeing and good game management so that the players can continue playing.”
Despite Nuno’s frustrations, Burnley coach Sean Dyche suggested that Wolves midfielder Joao Moutinho might have seen red for what he perceived as a stamp later.
The Wolves manager did not direct his criticism towards specific incidents, but added that Mason, who also refereed his team’s 1-1 draw with Newcastle in October, “didn’t have the quality for a Premier League game.”
While it’s difficult to statistically measure how well a referee lets a game flow, Mason has hit fewer foul free throws than most Premier League officials this season.
He has awarded an average of 19.8 fouls per game this season, with only two umpires recording a lower average, although the 26 fouls he gave in the Wolves’ loss to Burnley were higher than the league’s overall average of 22.7 per game. this season.
“This is a problem, we know we had Lee Mason before,” Nuno told Sky Sports. “It’s not about crucial decisions or mistakes, it’s about how you run the game.
“The players get nervous, he whistles from the noises of the players. We are talking about the best competition but it does not have the quality to whistle the game.
“I just don’t want to see him anymore, I told him I hope he doesn’t whistle one of our games again. He can’t control the players, the players are constantly arguing. The other referees let the game flow.”
