Valerien Ismael tops the list of all refereeing errors against Blackburn this season after a 1-1 draw with Ipswich.
He was not happy with the decision not to send off Ipswich’s Azor Matusiwa for bringing down Ryoya Morishita just before half-time, saying it should have been a penalty for the Yuki Ohashi incident, then a corner for Blackburn before Ipswich scored the late equaliser.
Andri Gudjohnsen’s sixth goal of the season brought Blackburn close to taking the big three points, but after Sindre Walle Egeli equalized in stoppage time, the home fans were left frustrated.
The result means Ipswich cannot return to the Championship play-off places and sit one point back in 7th place. Blackburn remain in 18th place but are now four points above the relegation zone.
Why isn’t that a red card?#BRFC | #Rover | #ITFC pic.twitter.com/GT1sQXDixj
— RoversXtra (@RoversXtra) December 2, 2025
Should this be a punishment for Ohashi?#BRFC | #Rover | #ITFC pic.twitter.com/azZbz1h7cR
— RoversXtra (@RoversXtra) December 2, 2025
he told RoversTV: “First I would like to start with the positive because in my opinion it was a great game and a complete performance from the boys, they played up front, aggressively and won the ball.”
“Ipswich didn’t really get into the game and I think we did exactly what we wanted.
“We had a chance to add some quality in the second half with Toddy (Cantwell) and we scored a goal but in the end we conceded a goal which is really painful.
“What I really liked is the connection with our fans today. I think we felt something that I told the players after the game. The fans made us feel good throughout the game.”
“We need this positive attitude and we need our fans to leave again on Saturday. We have to stay like that because they have recognized that the performance is right and they can be proud of the boys.”
“We have experienced a lot of adversity and tonight is another painful moment for us.
“We have to keep that positive attitude. The connection was there, we were with the fans and we have to keep our heads up.”
Commenting on the decision not to send off Ipswich’s Azor Matusiwa for bringing down Ryoya Morishita just before half-time, he told BBC Radio Lancashire: “We were very strong, we pressed well and forced mistakes. It was a great first half and we were strong in the second half. We took the lead and conceded another goal, which is very painful.”
“Normally tonight we should be talking about the three points we can enjoy but tonight I can’t help but talk about the referee, enough is enough, we have simply made the list of all the decisions this season against us.
“The lack of a red card is a disgrace. It’s terrible. I can’t accept that. It’s a penalty for Yuki (Ohashi, in a separate incident) and the last situation is a corner for us (before Ipswich’s equalizer), so the referee’s performance in the Championship is terrible again.”
“Every game, every three days it’s always the same with the decision and the standard is really bad. It’s unacceptable, it can happen that one or two decisions are made. I didn’t say anything but now, with the red card one, it’s obvious.”
“It’s a terrible decision, that’s why I have to talk about it – it’s very shameful to put in such a performance because no one can understand and understand the referee’s decision-making.”
“Every time is the same, I’m always sorry, but we want to raise the standard. It can’t stay like this.”
Aura, Ismael holds up a list of refereeing mistakes made against his team this season. #Rover pic.twitter.com/vZhKEE38X9
– allrovers (@allrovers_) December 2, 2025
VI: “No penalty at WBA, AG at Watford. Charlton handball, no penalty. Swansea, no penalty. PNEFC, no red card for Whiteman. No penalty for PG. Wxm, no foul by RH. Ipswich, clear red card and a penalty for Yuki. It’s that simple, they have to do their job.”#BRFC | #Rover pic.twitter.com/3g1TmylPjM
— RoversXtra (@RoversXtra) December 2, 2025
VI: “Maybe it’s because it’s a former Prem club and they wanted to help them. Nobody can understand it. It’s a terrible decision and I need to talk about it. It’s a shame to see this kind of performance. Nobody can understand and follow the decision-making.”#BRFC | #Rover | #ITFC pic.twitter.com/yvMhseYsBM
— RoversXtra (@RoversXtra) December 2, 2025
Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna told BBC Radio Suffolk:
“I don’t think it was a good performance in any way. It was a tough game but we weren’t good enough so I don’t think the performance was worth anything.”
“We are happy that we had the moment at the end and are happy for Sindre.
“The reality of this season is that we can have more chances and opportunities but if we don’t win it will be called a poor performance and I think we’ve had a lot of games like that this year.”
“In most things we’re one of the top teams in the league. We had the most shots, we don’t concede a lot of shots, we’re certainly not as fluid as I would have liked, but I think there were good performances but we didn’t translate that into results.”
“Tonight was different, tonight was a poor performance. We know we have a lot to improve on and tonight was a big step down in performance and we need to deliver a lot more.”
Twitter users had their say after Valerien Ismael held up a list of all the refereeing errors against Blackburn this season…
@jamesgeesus: He’s honestly spot on, 3 game-changing decisions the referee got wrong in a game that had to be replayed hard against 11 men in full. Given the performance and the players we played against, it’s hard to blame the players. All he has to do now is keep up morale.
@Leap_year_man: Stop using De Neve when we have to miss a game, he is the biggest liability in the squad. Why can’t you see that Ribeiro would be the better option at 1-0? It’s our own fault that we gave away 3 points again. For the record, I completely agree that the quality of refereeing is a disgrace and the number of terrible referee decisions against us this season is unacceptable and has cost us so many points, but we have to accept that the points lost are also because we weren’t bad in key moments of games
@EwoodExaminer: Strong performance from Ismael, who is doing an excellent job with a completely new, injury-plagued squad. I’ve never seen a manager regurgitate a list of grievances in an interview. Keep the faith #Rover fans, this squad is growing.
@bav_aled: An evildoer of all proportions. I pushed on Saturday, but it was almost the perfect confidence booster. Feel for Ishmael and the players. I didn’t do much wrong tonight. Now the goal must be at least 7 points from the next 3. The troops are fighting! #Rover
@webbsyK83: Oh god, this is going to be a meme, right? #Rover
@_kieranbl: Reminds me of a teacher holding up some crappy homework he handed in the day before
@KatieTKSFTBL: FA Respect – “We all have a responsibility to promote high standards of behavior in the game” – @FA What is your responsibility given the terrible consistency of refereeing decisions in the Championship?#Rovers
@MFRFC55: There will probably be a fine for this. The referees are too protected. They should watch highlights of important decisions and give an interview justifying their wrongdoing. Fair play to Val for highlighting this, but we are still causing our own demise.
@S27GDM: We can complain that we are playing against 12 players, that we don’t get a penalty, that they get yellow instead of red. We can (rightly) complain about the poor game management. The bottom line is that we were the better team and had enough chances to be well ahead. We didn’t take them with us #Rover
@Monty5493: With the squad we have now, I would have taken a point before the game. Only one team would have earned something from this game. The referees gave Stonewall a red card. Another 2 points given away #Rovers
