Wayne Rooney has called for a referee to be banned after Derby County were denied a penalty in a damaging defeat by Swansea City on Saturday.
Derby’s hopes of avoiding relegation from the Championship are hanging by a thread after a 2-1 defeat by Swansea. Rooney’s side, who had 21 points deducted for entering administration and historical financial breaches, are 23rd in the Championship and nine points from safety with five matches remaining.
Joel Piroe scored twice inside the first 16 minutes to give Swansea a 2-0 lead and leave Derby facing an uphill battle in South Wales. Tom Lawrence pulled a goal back from the penalty spot soon after but the Rams could not find an equaliser as they slipped to an eighth successive away defeat.
Rooney was convinced they should have been awarded a late spot-kick when substitute Bartosz Cybulski was bundled over in the box while competing for a rebound following a header by Festy Ebosele. Referee Tim Robinson was unmoved despite vociferous appeals from Derby’s players and a furious Rooney on the touchline.
"I think everyone in the stadium agrees (it was a penalty), the Swansea manager, the Swansea staff, the Swansea fans, Derby players, staff, fans, everyone saw it was a clear penalty apart from the four officials," Rooney said in his post-match press conference. "I have said it time and time again. I understand it is difficult to give it when it is a tight one.
"When it is a clear obvious foul and penalty it leaves a lot of questions I have to ask the officials. I hope the referee gets banned and fined because that is not good enough.
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"We have got a good, young, honest group of players who are working every day to try and help this club to try and get through the difficulties it is going through. We have got a young player [Cybulski] playing his second game as a sub, he has got an opportunity to score and is wrestled to the ground and the officials don't see it. It is crazy.
"You can ask what do we do, do you get VAR in but the officials are looking at VAR on the screen and they are still getting decisions wrong. So I don't know where we go."
Defeat leaves Derby staring at what has often felt inevitable ever since their points deduction was confirmed earlier in the campaign. Cardiff's 2-1 win at 21st-placed Reading at least meant the Rams did not slip further away from safety but time is running out for Rooney and his players to pull off a miracle.
