PGMOL chief Howard Webb has summoned a meeting for ALL refs next week after a Saturday marred by VAR errors in the EPL.
Premier League leaders Arsenal were furious as Ivan Toney’s offside goal for Brentford was upheld.
While Crystal Palace, a rival team, had a goal against Brighton unjustly disallowed.
Webb was reportedly “incredulous” over what transpired as both Arsenal and Brighton went on to drop points.
To sort through the problem, all referees will reportedly need to attend a “summit” at Stockley Park the following week, according to the Mail.
Since VAR Lee Mason “forgot” to draw the lines that would have determined Christian Norgaard to have been offside, Brentford’s goal was allowed to stand.
While John Brooks, the VAR, did remember to mark the offside line during the Palace-Brighton game, he did so from the wrong player.
The 51-year-old Webb sent letters of apology and explanation to both Brighton and Arsenal.
The Seagulls acknowledged that they had accepted the PGMOL’s apology in a formal statement.
It said: “As was confirmed to the club by PGMOL last night, a serious error was made in disallowing Pervis Estupinan’s goal at Crystal Palace yesterday afternoon.”
“The lines drawn in the VAR room to determine whether Pervis was in an offside position were drawn incorrectly, and the goal should have stood.
“While hugely disappointed by the error, the club has accepted PGMOL’s apology and will not be making any further comment.”
In its own statement, the PGMOL said: “PGMOL can confirm its Chief Refereeing Officer Howard Webb has contacted both Arsenal and Brighton & Hove Albion to acknowledge and explain the significant errors in the VAR process in their respective Premier League fixtures on Saturday.”
“Both incidents, which were due to human error and related to the analysis of offside situations, are being thoroughly reviewed by PGMOL.”
John Brooks is now set to serve as the VAR for both tomorrow’s Merseyside derby and Wednesday’s encounter between Arsenal and Manchester City. Also, Lee Mason is not yet banned for any upcoming games.
What Is PGMOL?
All Premier League games are officiated by the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) organization.
The PGMOL group, which was established in 2001 to raise refereeing standards, officiates in all Premier League, English Football League (EFL), and Football Association (FA) Competitions. It’s funded by all three organizations.
A group of supervisors and coaches, led by managing director Mike Riley, a former PGMOL referee, oversee the training, development, and mentorship of 117 referees and 177 assistant referees.
The 22 full-time, professional Select Group One referees are the highest ranked officials.
PGMOL currently has 79 full-time, professional match officials in the Select Group.
Select Group 1 Referees, Select Group 1 Assistant Referees, Select Group 2 Referees, and women’s Select Group officials make up these categories.
What Happened On Saturday?
West Ham V Chelsea
See Chelsea Incident Below:
Tomas Soucek appeared to handle Conor Callagher’s shot, prompting Chelsea to request a penalty kick. However, after a quick check, VAR did not rule in Chelsea’s favor.
Arsenal v Brentford
Ivan Toney’s equalizing goal for Brentford on Saturday, according to Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta, ought to have been disallowed.
After 74 minutes, Toney headed in from close range to give Arsenal a 1-0 lead.
Arsenal Offside Incident below
After a VAR review, the goal was upheld because Toney was deemed to be onside.
However, according to the Gunners’ head coach, the goal ought to have been disallowed.
What Do You Think About Premier League Officials and their Frequent Mistakes? Share your comments below.
