New footage shows EFL referee being escorted off pitch by security

A referee needed to be escorted off the pitch by security following Ipswich’s 1-1 draw with Leicester on Saturday afternoon.

Patson Daka had fired the Foxes in front shortly before the break before Sindre Egeli ensured the spoils would be shared.

Egeli’s 76th-minute strike does mean that Leicester have now failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 30 matches, although it will be viewed as a point gained for the under-pressure Foxes.

Ipswich were left reeling as the EFL official waved away a penalty appeal in the fifth minute of stoppage-time.

Hamza Choudhury appeared to pulled down Cedric Kipre in the Leicester box, but Busby opted against awarding a spot kick, which prompted a furious response from the home side.

Kipre sprinted over to the referee to protest against the decision while a number of teammates were hot on the 29-year-old’s heels to argue with Busby.

The defender, along with Leicester’s Jordan James, were booked in the aftermath of the incident.

Tractor Boos

Boos rang out at Portman Road once it became clear that a penalty wasn’t going to be awarded.

And Busby, who has presided over 15 Championship games this season, was joined by his assistants as they were escorted back to the dressing room by eight members of security as new footage shows the referee surrounded by staff donning fluorescent jackets.

The result may have huge ramifications in Ipswich’s promotion push as a point saw Ipswich drop behind Millwall and close the gap to second-placed Middlesbrough to just two points.

Considering Ipswich have scored more Championship penalties than any other team this season, chances are the Suffolk-side would have gone level with Boro in the automatic promotion spots.

“Yeah, I think it’s clear that’s the feeling in the stadium and in the dressing room,” Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna began when asked about the referee.

“Look, I don’t want to start with a referee, but you’ve asked me that as the first question.

“I wouldn’t have started with that, because there’s other things to the game. I loved how we chased the game in the second half.

“But I thought we had at least two clear penalties. There’s one on Anis [Mehmeti]. And the one on Cedric at the end, it’s crazy for me that it’s not given.

“It couldn’t be any more clear. There’s nowhere else that you can look. Dara [O’Shea] puts an incredible ball in the six-yard box and it’s the only place that all the officials have to look.

“Cedric gets fouled in every way he can get fouled. So yeah, it’s really frustrating because I really, really liked the way we chased the game.

“We should have a clear penalty to go and win the game. It’s the same referee and the same situation with Preston.

Getty

“We should have had a clear penalty at the end of that game [1-1 draw in January], but today was even worse and even more clear.

“I think we should have had at least one. No, I think we should have had two penalties. I don’t know what minute that one on Cedric was [95th], but we should have a kick to win the game.

“Had we done that, I think our supporters would be going home really proud of the second half performance. The spirit and character that the group showed again and what would have been very likely a comeback victory.”

Ref ‘didn’t see it’

McKenna continued: “He said he didn’t see it. It’s not good enough, is it? There’s nowhere else to look. The cross comes in from really wide, so as soon as it’s crossed, the only place to look is what’s going on in the penalty box.

“We take his word that he didn’t see it, but I don’t know how you can’t. He was pulling me over for a chat on the side just to get away from the bodies.

“There was no aggression between myself or the referee on that. Of course there was frustration but, no, we pulled away from the bodies because there was a lot of people around.

“That’s when he explained that he didn’t see the incident. That’s all that was.”

Ipswich will hope to return to winning ways when they face Stoke City on Tuesday night before they travel to relegated Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.