Stoke boss Hughes accuses referees of bias against his team

LONDON - Stoke City manager Mark Hughes has accused Premier League match officials of being especially harsh on his team after being sent off during Saturday's 4-0 thumping by Tottenham Hotspur. Hughes was sent to the stands in the first half after leaving the technical area as Stoke, who have one point from their opening four league games, remain rooted to the bottom of the standings. "They seem to be vigilant and more of a stickler for the rules when Stoke City are involved. The people who need to know how I feel have been told already, this season and in previous seasons," Hughes told British media. "This season I've been told about the new directives and I should have known better but emotion gets the better of you sometimes and that's why I reacted." Hughes referred to Saturday's Manchester derby to prove his point. "I watched the Manchester derby it was a very good, passionate game. There was emotion on the sidelines. At one point I saw one of the managers step on the pitch and nothing was done about that," Hughes added. "Clearly I went out of the technical area and they spotted that." Stoke visit Crystal Palace in the league on Sunday. -Reuters