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Referees' chief Mike Riley is at the centre of a storm after being accused of putting officials “under pressure” to change their decisions.

Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey has named Riley as being responsible as the storm surrounding referees and decisions gathered pace.

It could leave Professional Game Match Officials Limited chief Riley’s position in doubt in the wake of the row surrounding Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero’s retrospective three game ban.

Halsey waded into the row on Twitter and has since claimed that he was encouraged to say he had not seen a previous incident when former Blackburn midfielder Steven N’Zonzi allegedly elbowed Stoke’s Ryan Shawcross in 2011.

(Image: Action Images) (Image: Getty)

Retired referee Halsey blames the PGMOL rather than the Football Association but it is clear that he is backing referees after Andre Marriner said he did not see Aguero’s elbow on Winston Reid despite standing just yards away.

And in Halsey’s explosive book Added Time he pointed the finger at Riley but admitted he backed down because he was so upset by the death of ex-Wales boss Gary Speed.

But Halsey also suggested that referee Lee Mason was put under pressure after Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney was punished retrospectively for swearing into a TV camera at West Ham.

(Image: Jan Kruger)

Halsey, recalling what happened in 2011, said: “That came before a conversation with Mike Riley when he said I would be getting a phone call from Tarik Shamel, Head of On-Field Regulation at the FA, about the incidents involving Nzonzi, who would ironically later sign for Stoke.

“When the call came, Tarik told me that Mike had told him there should have been a sending off. Not for me, there shouldn’t, I said. Tarik left it up to me to decide the next step.

"Reluctantly, feeling under pressure to deliver the result Mike wanted, I agreed rather than cause a problem and have yet more bad blood with him.

“It would certainly have been interesting to see what would have happened to me had I not agreed. I told Tarik that I didn’t really care, though, given Gary’s death. There were more important things.

“I was in the same boat as Lee Mason that time when Wayne Rooney swore into a TV camera in a game at West Ham. No referee would have sent off for that, but Lee came under pressure to report that he hadn’t seen it but would have given a red card if he had seen it.

“That way, as in my case, the FA could take retrospective action, though with me it seemed that it was Mike who wanted Nzonzi punished rather than the FA.”

Riley insists that he has never put pressure on referees to change decisions or see they have not seen particular incidents.