PGMOL confirm review into VAR decision in Arsenal – Brentford match
The head of the VAR referees, Howard Webb, reached out to Arsenal and Brighton to acknowledge that there were significant mistakes made in the VAR process during their matches on Saturday, which he attributed to human error.
In both matches, there were incorrect decisions made regarding offside calls during goal-scoring situations. The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) released a statement confirming that both teams had been notified about these errors.
“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.”
Former Premier League referee, Keith Hackett, has called for the dismissal of VAR official Lee Mason for his failure to rule out Ivan Toney’s equalizing goal.
It is understood that Mason did not thoroughly review the offside decision against Brentford player Christian Norgaard during the buildup to Toney’s goal.
Hackett’s demand for Mason’s removal comes amid growing frustration and controversy over the use of VAR, as Chelsea and Brighton have also been upset about questionable decisions.
In a Twitter post, Hackett stated that as the head of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), Howard Webb should dismiss Mason as a permanent VAR operator.
“This weekend, Mason lets another referee down by not disallowing the Brentford goal for offside. These are decisions that VAR should get right.”
Arsenal was leading 1-0 in their match against Brentford thanks to Leandro Trossard’s goal when Brentford’s Ivan Toney scored a header from close range after Christian Norgaard set him up.
After a lengthy delay, the referee was advised to award the goal, much to the frustration of Arsenal’s coach Mikel Arteta and his players.
It is understood that VAR official Lee Mason did not fully examine the offside call against Norgaard, and there were no lines drawn on the screen to determine if Norgaard should have been penalized.
Arteta’s concerns were echoed by Chelsea’s coach Graham Potter, who also saw his team’s claims for a late penalty at West Ham ignored. Defender Tomas Soucek appeared to handle Conor Gallagher’s shot inside the penalty area, but VAR official Neil Swarbrick did not advise the referee to review his decision not to award a penalty.
Bemused Blues boss Potter said: “I thought it was a good save. It looks like a handball to me. I didn’t know Tomas could get down that easily and save like that. But it’s not for me to say about VAR.”
Brighton also had reason to be upset after Pervis Estupinan’s goal was disallowed following a VAR review.
VAR official John Brooks determined that Estupinan was offside, but later replays showed that the line was drawn incorrectly from James Tomkins instead of Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace, who appeared to be playing him onside.
On Sunday, Brighton confirmed that they received an apology from the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) for “a serious error”.
A spokesman 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.”
PGMOL confirm review into VAR decision in Arsenal – Brentford match
