The PGMOL have revealed they have attempted to stamp out refereeing errors during an emergency meeting spearheaded by former Premier League official Howard Webb.
Referees in the top-flight and their VAR counterparts were put under the spotlight at the weekend following a number of blunders. Pervis Estupinan’s goal against Crystal Palace was struck off by VAR - the lines having been drawn from the wrong defender - after Chelsea were denied a penalty for a clear handball by West Ham ’s Tomas Soucek.
The most baffling error arguably came in Arsenal ’s draw with Brentford as Ivan Toney’s goal was allowed to stand by both the VAR and the referee despite Christian Norgaard clearly being offside in the build-up. The PGMOL were forced to offer apologies to both Arsenal and Brighton following the errors.
Meanwhile, an emergency meeting was held by new chief Webb in the aftermath. In a statement on Tuesday, the referee bosses have revealed that the meeting focused on eradicating errors across the game. It read: “A constructive meeting was held at Stockley Park today, led by new Chief Refereeing Officer Howard Webb, to thoroughly review officiating errors in Premier League matches last weekend.
“There was a focus on error prevention and a reinforcement of best practice process with the aim of achieving accurate outcomes in an efficient manner going forward.
“We accept mistakes were made and we acted accordingly by calling a meeting and changing appointments where appropriate, however, we are encouraged by the way our officials have responded and are confident they will take the learnings forward, always with the aim of delivering high officiating standards for the benefit of the game.”
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Whilst work is being done in an effort to clamp down on mistakes relating to refereeing matches, the officials responsible have already felt the consequences of their errors. Lee Mason - the man responsible for VAR in Arsenal’s draw with Brentford - has been dropped from the upcoming round of Premier League fixtures.
His colleague John Brooks also felt the wrath of his bosses after chalking off Estupinan’s strike at Selhurst Park. He was originally pencilled in as VAR for Monday night’s Merseyside derby and Arsenal’s key clash with Manchester City on Wednesday but was replaced for both.
Andre Marriner and David Coote stepped in on each occasion respectively. The punishment has ended there, though, with Brooks set to return to action this weekend.
The Premier League have confirmed that Brooks has been selected as the fourth official for Arsenal's trip to Villa Park on Saturday afternoon.
A statement read: "The Premier League sets high standards and is disappointed that PGMOL fell below those expectations last weekend. As a result, the Premier League requested that PGMOL review and explain a number of incidents from the recent match round.
"Following discussions with PGMOL, and yesterday’s Select Group One review meeting, we support PGMOL's views on addressing these issues to improve performances going forward."
