At Upton Park on Wednesday referee Steve Bennett awarded West Ham a penalty on the stroke of half-time when Aston Villa's Habib Beye was adjudged to have fouled striker Zavon Hines.

Just three minutes after the break he handed Villa a penalty of their own when the official decided young defender Manuel Da Costa had fouled former Hammer James Collins for an aerial challenge in the box.

Nothing untoward there, one might think. If you're fouled in the box, it's a penalty. Those are the rules.

Except, neither of these supposed infringements were fouls at all. Beye made a terrific tackle, getting the faintest of touches on the ball which diverted it away from Hines, who was ominously bearing down on Brad Friedel's goal.

Mr Bennett was attempting to catch up with play and was approximately 30 yards away from the incident. But, seeing Hines fall to the floor, without a clear view of the challenge, the referee simply guessed that there must have been a foul. His decision to book Beye instead of send him off – the mandatory punishment for denying a goal-scoring opportunity – merely enforces the idea that he wasn't sure himself as to whether it was indeed a penalty.

For the second penalty, Bennett cannot be accused of being in a poor position. Quite the opposite in fact, as he was right on top of the incident. Which makes his decision to award a spot-kick all the more baffling.

Da Costa appeared to have springs attached to his boots as he leapt all of five feet in the air above Collins to head the ball clear. The Villa defender went to ground after Da Costa's shins caught the back of his head, and Mr Bennett duly pointed to the spot.

Players are forever penalised for using their arms as leverage to rise above their opponents, so what message does it send to punish the Portuguese defender for an incredible feat of agility? One can only imagine Mr Bennett caught a replay of his first penalty award on his way out for the second half and felt obliged to even things up.

There will be further implications for Beye now, as the former Newcastle United right-back will now face a one-game suspension after he was shown a second yellow card later in the game for another dubious challenge. The rules state an appeal cannot be lodged on the basis of two yellow cards. Of course it can't.

It was the tenth red card Premier League referees showed in 11 games - eight of which were shown on Saturday.

Some of them were fully justified. Like Barry Ferguson's ludicrous handball in the dying minutes of Birmingham City's match with Manchester City to earn him his second yellow. Or Jlloyd Samuel's trip on Didier Drogba when the Chelsea striker found himself through on goal. Or indeed Sunderland's Kenwyne Jones' act of stupidity when he pushed Herita Ilunga in the face, even if the West Ham defender's reaction should have prompted a full-scale search of the Stadium of Light for a sniper in the stands.

But there were others that will leave fans and managers alike wondering whether the men charged with officiating these matches understand the game at all.

In another incident involving one of Gianfranco Zola's players, Radoslav Kovac was given his marching orders when he picked up his second booking for kicking Darren Bent on the backside. Referee Andre Marriner had no hesitation in reaching for his pocket, although there was no consideration that the Sunderland man had come from behind the Czech international to pinch the ball. With Kovac having already gone through with his attempted pass, his momentum carried him straight into Bent. Perhaps Marriner was right, but we aren't all fortunate enough to have eyes in the back of our heads.

The decision is made all the more surprising when you consider that Marriner used to be a promising footballer before turning his attentions to officiating, and so would surely understand the intricacies of the game that others in his position may not.

That point is given further credence when you consider that former Premier League ref Graham Poll said Kovac could have 'no complaints' after reviewing the incident in his Daily Mail column.

The controversial dismissals of Aston Villa's Carlos Cuellar and Hull City's Geovanni, as well as the failure to punish rash challenges like that of David Bentley's at the weekend lend more weight to the argument that referees are simply out of touch with the game.

Perhaps there is a wider issue here, however.

Decisions decide games. It seems a nonsensical statement, but it's true. They can also define seasons.

Let me provide a scenario: Team A are taking on Team B. The score stands at 0-0 and there are just two minutes remaining. Sensing he needs to make something happen Team A's number nine allows his trailing leg to be caught by a defender. The referee buys the dive hook, line and sinker and awards a free-kick on the edge of the box. Team A's number 10 sticks it into the top corner. At the end of the season Team A win the championship by a point, while Team B are relegated by the same margin. The winners walk into a world of riches, full of brand new multi-million pound sponsorship deals and Champions League football. The relegated party lose millions in television revenue, their star players are snapped up by top division clubs and the axe of administration threatens to fall.

The pressure cooker that is Premier League football is cranked up to maximum power almost every week, where so much rides on the decisions of so few.

So, surely it is the job of the League and the Football Association to suitably equip the officials for such high-pressure games, rather than neglect the problem by demoting them to officiate Hereford against Grimsby whenever they make a mistake. Without that training, it's like sending a soldier to war with a pellet gun and a packet of stinkbombs. Where's that white flag?

The situation is not helped when one considers we live in an age of divers and cheats, whose attempts at one-and-a-half somersaults into pike would put them into serious contention for a medal at the Olympics in London in 2012.

However, we are frequently told that all the necessary training and grading has been undertaken and that the men in black (or yellow or green) are all capable of officiating at the highest level.

In that case boys, if you can't stand the heat, get out of the fire. On the evidence of last weekend, however, it would appear there is still plenty of work to be done.

What do you think about the current state of refereeing in the Premier League?

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