Michael Salisbury, the VAR for Tottenham's win over Brighton, will not be on duty for this weekend's Premier League games, after the PGMOL were forced to issue an apology for his failure to award the Seagulls a penalty.
Salisbury is the second official to be stood down after the weekend, with Constantine Hatzidakis also benched after he appeared to elbow Liverpool star Andy Robertson during the Reds' draw with Arsenal. The PGMOL quickly sent an apology to Brighton after their defeat to Spurs.
The Seagulls had appealed for a penalty in the second-half of the top-flight clash when Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg appeared to catch Kaoru Mitoma inside the area with the score at 1-1. Referee Stuart Attwell immediately waved away Brighton's appeals.
Salisbury checked the incident, but did not overturn Attwell's decision, despite it appearing to be an obvious error. The referees body soon sent an apology to Brighton, who went on to lose the game after Harry Kane's winner.
A PGMOL statement read: “Following Brighton & Hove Albion’s match at Tottenham Hotspur, PGMOL and the Club have been in contact regarding a number of incidents during the aforementioned fixture.
"During that dialogue, PGMOL acknowledged that an error was made in not awarding a second-half penalty for a foul on Kaoru Mitoma. The key match incidents from this fixture will be reviewed in line with our normal processes.”
There was a further incident late on that saw Attwell again wave away claims for a penalty when Clement Lenglet appeared to bring down Lewis Dunk. The failures of the match officials drew widespread condemnation.
“This one [on Mitoma] I think is an awful decision. It is a clear and obvious error. It’s a howler. [Referee] Stuart Attwell is looking straight down the barrel at it. [Pierre-Emile] Hojbjerg stands on Mitoma, it should be a clear penalty," former Newcastle star Alan Shearer told Match of the Day.
“[Roberto] De Zerbi, I’m sure, will be getting an apology at some time in the next 48 hours to say ‘sorry, we got that one wrong’. It’s not good enough. It’s not acceptable. That should be a clear penalty. And this one [on Dunk], I think it’s a penalty as well. Lenglet has got hold of Dunk, two hands on him.”
Salisbury is the second match official to be stood down following the weekend's round of games, following in the path of Hatzidakis. The assistant referee appeared to elbow Robertson at half-time of Liverpool's draw with Arsenal.
The incident left the Reds incensed, with the PGMOL and the FA now investigating, leaving Hatzidakis career hanging by a thread. The refereeing body confirmed Hatzidakis would not be appointed to any matches while the investigation is ongoing.
A statement read: “PGMOL will not be appointing Constantine Hatzidakis to fixtures in any of the competitions it serves while the Football Association investigates the incident involving the assistant referee and Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson at Anfield.”
