Andre Marriner, who awarded Chelsea a controversial penalty against West Bromwich Albion last week, will officiate in the Premier League this weekend despite an acceptance within refereeing circles that he had erred in giving the stoppage time spot-kick.

Ramires had gone down after contact with the visiting defender Steven Reid with Marriner's view of the incident having suggested the full-back caught the Brazilian's back leg to knock him off-balance. Replays have since indicated the clash was a collision rather than a foul, with Marriner and Mike Riley, head of the Professional Game Match Officials' Limited, conceding the referee should have played on rather than awarding the penalty.

"I can understand why Andre gave it when you consider what he saw at the time," said Riley. "He thinks he sees Ramires getting in front of Reid and that there is contact, the defender catching his back leg to make him off-balance without playing the ball, so it's a penalty. You can see Marriner thinking to himself: this is what I've seen, pausing to replay it in mind, and then giving the penalty. But he should have played on. Watching the incident again, you can make a case for simulation because Ramires changes body angle. The truth is only Ramires truly knows [whether he dived]."

The penalty, converted by Eden Hazard, allowed Chelsea to extend their unbeaten home record under Jose Mourinho in the Premier League to 66 matches and prompted criticism from the West Brom manager, Steve Clarke, and a furious reaction from his players. Yet Marriner will still officiate Fulham's home game against Swansea City on Saturday. In contrast his fellow referee Robert Madley, who awarded Stoke a late penalty in the 3-3 draw at Swansea for handball against Wayne Routledge, will not officiate this weekend. The Welsh club's manager, Michael Laudrup, later claimed Madley owed him and his players an apology.

Incidents of simulation are actually significantly down on this time last year when a flurry of early season controversies had prompted calls from within the game for players to eradicate diving. "We think there have been six simulation offences this season whereas, this time last year, there had been 19 offences," said Riley. "Players and managers saw the moral imperative to stamp it out: the Professional Footballers' Association said 'don't dive', managers like Sir Alex Ferguson said it was unacceptable, as David Moyes has this season.

"So we've seen a drop off in simulation offences. We should be proud it's not an accepted part of our game. Players say it is not acceptable. Supporters say it is not acceptable. The moral imperative is on players not to get involved in it, and the onus is on players not to do it. Of course, there have been some bookings for dives which aren't dives, such as that of Gareth Bale at Fulham last season when he was trying to avoid a tackle (from Steve Sidwell)."

The incidents that have occurred have prompted calls for the introduction of retrospective punishment for simulation. "But it would have to be enforceable," added Riley. "Five years ago Italy had it, retrospective action for diving, but the policy was disbanded after three weeks. They stopped it because nobody could agree what was and what wasn't a dive. There have been incidents where action has been taken in Australia and Scotland, but Fifa's position is you cannot take retrospective action in this regard."