Match Officials Mic’d Up: what the new TV show tells us about referees

Fulham players cannot believe the VAR has failed to rule Nathan Aké’s goal for Manchester City offside. The decision was wrong, Howard Webb revealed. Photograph: Xinhua/Shutterstock

The first episode of Match Officials Mic’d Up certainly wasn’t short of talking points. From Michael Owen’s typically wooden presenting skills to Howard Webb’s admission that Nathan Aké’s header for Manchester City against Fulham on Saturday should have been disallowed, the monthly 26-minute show produced by the Premier League that will be aired on Sky Sports and TNT Sports on Wednesday evening breaks new ground for the sport.

But while Webb – the chief refereeing officer at Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) – offers viewers an insight into some of the more controversial VAR decisions so far this season, it is the audio feed from Stockley Park that provides most of the entertainment.