Referee chief Howard Webb orders crackdown on players waving imaginary cards

PGMOL chief Howard Webb has ordered his referees to clamp down on players waving imaginary cards.

The referees head is keen to reinforce strict rules on dissent that were brought in at the start of the season.

He has also warned VAR officials that they must step in if 'soft' penalties are awarded, according to The Sun.

Ahead of the return of Premier League action this week after the international break, Webb has laid down the law to his team of referees during a meeting at their Loughborough base.

One of his key points was to reiterate a directive brought in to crack down on player dissent.

At the start of the season, there were a flurry of bookings for players that showed imaginary cards.

However, such a punishment has disappeared in recent weeks with players getting away with the action, something that did not happen earlier in the campaign.

The inconsistency has been pointed out by fans on numerous occasions and has been a point of contention.

Webb is keen to bring back the rule in a move that will see yellow cards likely rack up quickly once again.

He reiterated to his team that a policy put in place in August has to be consistent throughout the season.

And the PGMOL chief is also eager to maintain a strong line against dissent in general as they look to battle back against players and managers behaving badly.

There have already been 88 bookings in the Premier League for dissent - Fulham top the list with 11 yellow cards.

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag and Fulham manager Marco Silva top the list for most dissent bookings, seeing yelow three times each.

Meanwhile, Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson, West Ham's Lucas Paqueta and Newcastle midfielder Sean Longstaff have been yellow carded for dissent three times each.

Referees have come under heavy criticism this season already with VAR facing calls to be scrapped.

Wolves have been particularly stung after suffering from three penalties given against them in a row that should have never been taken.

Luis Diaz infamously saw his goal incorrectly ruled offside despite VAR taking a look during Liverpool's defeat to Tottenham in September.

And Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou recently said that VAR should be stood down until the technology works.

He said last week: "I would [scrap VAR] in its current form. I just don't think that technology is ready for our game.

"I've got zero against goal-line technology. It's a no-brainer and it works for our game.

"Our game is unique. People say, 'Let's get referees explaining their decisions'. Oh my God - seriously? Could you imagine sitting there listening to a referee explaining every decision in the game?"