Nuno REFUSES to apologise for saying Lee Mason ‘doesn’t have the quality’ for Premier League

Nuno Espirito Santo has refused to back down in his row over Lee Mason after claiming the referee was ‘not good enough’ to control Premier League matches.

The Wolves boss has been asked to explain his comments by the Football Association after he questioned Mason’s competence following his side’s 2-1 defeat at Burnley last Monday.

While Nuno apologised for the timing of his remarks, he has no intention of toning them down. 

The Wolves claimed the official doesn’t have the quality to referee in the Premier League

He said: ‘I should apologise the timing of my comments. They were not in the best moment [but] I won’t apologise for my words and thoughts.

‘I never question the integrity of a referee. What I said was about the ability of a referee. The Premier League is the best competition in the world.

‘We expect high levels of performance, as managers and players. We expect referees to be confident to maintain control on the pitch. We want referees to improve.

Nuno said he apologised for the timing of his comments but not for his words or thoughts

‘I wouldn’t feel comfortable if I had not said it. If this is the best league in the world, everybody has to raise their standards. Let’s get better. We work very hard, so everybody has to work very hard.

‘We want the referees to let the games flow, control the players and have dialogue with the managers.’

Nuno’s comments were surprising as he has rarely been publicly critical of officials during his three-and-a-half years in English football.

Paul Tierney is due to take charge of Wolves’ next match, against Tottenham on December 27, with Mason on fourth official duty at West Ham’s meeting with Brighton earlier that day. 

The manager claimed that Mason is not able to control the players when he officiates games