Ipswich Town boss Kieran McKenna has revealed that the PGMOL have admitted the Blues should have been awarded two penalties during Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Leicester City.
The decisions came under heavy scrutiny after Anis Mehmeti was tripped by Harry Winks in the 56th minute, before Cedric Kipré was bundled over by Hamza Choudhury in stoppage time.
Referee John Busby waved away both appeals, later telling McKenna he had not seen the incident involving Kipré.
It was the exact referee from the Ipswich Town v Preston North End draw in January, where, controversially, he waved away an appeal from the Preston players after they thought Jack Clarke took the penalty from the spot with two feet.
Asked whether there had been contact with the PGMOL, McKenna confirmed assistant manager Martyn Pert had spoken with Kevin Friend, who oversees Select Group 2 officials.
“Yes, there’s full admission that there should have been two penalties, one on Anis and certainly the one at the end,” he said. “Everyone was disappointed it wasn’t given. It doesn’t change anything now, though.”
McKenna reiterated his belief that the decisions were straightforward. “It was such a pivotal point in the game and not a particularly difficult decision. It was more disappointing than most.”
Despite the controversy, McKenna stressed the need to move on quickly. “We certainly can’t afford it to drag on in our mood or morale. There are positives to take, and it’s about how we quickly shift our mindset to tomorrow night.”
Ipswich remain unbeaten in four and sit firmly in the promotion race, but Saturday’s draw saw them lose ground on the automatic places.
With 11 games remaining, McKenna says the focus must be on performance levels rather than officiating. “It’s 46 games. You’re not going to win every game. The only way forward is concentrating on the next match.”
