Premier League referees chief explains how World Cup controversy will make life harder for officials

SportFootballPremier League referees chief explains how World Cup controversy will make life harder for officialsHoward Webb believes the situation surrounding Folarin Balogun’s red card will create room for conspiraciesMiguel Delaney Chief Football Writer Wednesday 19 August 2026 17:00 BSTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popover{"translations":{"comments":"Go to comments","share":"Share","copyLink":"Copy link","bookmark":"Bookmark","removeBookmark":"Remove bookmark"},"showComments":true,"showBookmark":true,"articleId":"b3035772","articleMeta":{"url":"https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league-refereeing-howard-webb-balogun-fifa-b3035772.html","title":"Howard Webb explains how Balogun controversy will make life harder for officials"}}open image in gallery{"id":"trigger-autogallery-36603","index":0}Premier League officials could face greater scrutiny after the Folarin Balogun saga, Howard Webb believes (Getty)Join the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletter and go beyond the game with exclusive insightsJoin the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletterJoin the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletterTRY 1 MONTH FOR FREEI would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice{"className":"sc-1ge0fwe-0","newsletterData":{"pianoFieldName":"receiveIndyFootballNews","regTitle":"Miguel Delaney: Inside Football","subscriptionGroup":"readingTheGame","subscriptionGroupId":"d6776bff-0bec-4d53-a0ce-bd38db6811e5","type":"football","pathPrefix":["/sport/football","/sport/football/world-cup","/topic/fantasy-football"],"associatedAuthors":["Miguel Delaney","Richard Jolly"],"title":"Join the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletter and go beyond the game with exclusive insights","mobileTitle":"Join the Miguel Delaney: Inside Football newsletter","imageSrc":"https://static.independent.co.uk/static-assets/images/newsletters/miguelDelaney1_1.png","newsletterKey":"receiveIn...