The FA has issued a statement today saying that it does not appoint referees for Premier League games.
The statement comes after Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher criticised referee Mike Riley for not awarding a penalty to Liverpool during their one-nil defeat to Chelsea on New Year's Day.
In the 38th minute of the game Chelsea's Tiago seemed to handle the ball in the box but Riley did not award the penalty.
Carragher angrily remonstrated with Riley after he failed to award the spot-kick and continued to complain to the match official in the tunnel after the game.
Today Carragher has been reported in a number of newspapers as saying that the FA needed to "look closely at which referees get to handle these games."
The FA have pointed out, however, that the referees are appointed by Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) managed by Keith Hackett of the Premier League.
This is not Riley's first brush with controversy this season. In another high-profile match - Arsenal versus Manchester United in October and with the game very much in the balance - he awarded a penalty to United's Wayne Rooney after what looked like a dive by the teenager in the Arsenal box.
Nor is this the first incident between Carragher and Riley.
In the FA Cup fourth round in 2002 Riley sent Carragher off during a five minute period of madness between Liverpool and their opponents Arsenal.
On 67 minutes Arsenal's Martin Keown impeded Michael Owen's run towards goal and protested strongly when Riley sent him off. Then, two minutes later, Carragher was subjected to a wild, two-footed challenge from Denis Bergkamp, for which the Dutchman received a red card. Bergkamp, too, felt that the dismissal was unfair and protested to the referee. Meanwhile, a coin was flung at Carragher who angrily threw it back, resulting in the third red card from Riley.
Riley later said that throwing the coin amounted to violent conduct punishable by a red card.
