In brief
In the past 18 months, the PGMOL has issued 14 apologies for errors made, and VAR has generated more problems than it has solved.
There are some understandable mistakes in between the easy-to-miss calls and the outright howlers.
One particularly well-known error was the recent ruling to disallow Luis Diaz’s goal against Tottenham, even though there was ample proof that he was onside.
VAR was introduced with the intention of making refereeing football games easier, but thus far, it appears to have caused more problems than it has solved. The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), which oversees officiating in English professional football, has had to issue 14 apologies in the past 18 months alone because of errors they made.
Officials rarely raise their hands and acknowledge wrongdoing, so it’s shocking to see 14 cases in less than two years. But how awful were these choices? While there have been some unexpected incidents, like Luis Diaz’s recent transgression against Tottenham Hotspur, there have also been some logical mistakes. After a more thorough investigation, the GIVEMESPORT team used Tiermaker to rank all 14 of the wrong choices that compelled the PGMOL to apologise in a number of different categories.
Five categories—’Easy to Miss’, ‘Questionable judgement’, ‘Bad Call’, ‘What Was The Ref Thinking?’, and ‘Absolute Howler’—have been assigned to each occurrence. Please let us know if you would modify anything in our social media remarks, as this is quite subjective. Here is our current rating system for all 14 instances.
Crystal Palace 3-1 Aston Villa (20 August 2022) is an easy game to miss.
After a header hit Lucas Digne’s arm and VAR determined it was a handball, Crystal Palace was given a penalty with the scores equal at one. The defender was right next to Marc Guehi when he headed the ball, and it would have been impossible to pull his arm back at such short notice, thus the call seemed severe. Although the call was harsh, this is undoubtedly the least offending event on this list because the ball did, in fact, touch his outstretched arm.
West Ham United 2-1 Chelsea (3 September 2022)
Maxwel Cornet appeared to have secured a draw for West Ham United, who were behind 2-1 at the time, after he scored for the Hammers against Chelsea in the closing seconds of their match. However, after determining that Jarrod Bowen had fouled Edouard Mendy during the build-up, VAR disallowed his goal. Before the keeper reached the ball and palmed it away as he fell to the deck, the Englishman had gone through on goal. However, Bowen’s follow-through struck Mendy’s chest, keeping him down. There was contact, so this error was simple to make, but it was a mild offence to give away, and the PGMOL quickly expressed regret for the choice.
Uncertain Choice
Crystal Palace 0-0 Newcastle United (3 September 2022)
This time, VAR denied Newcastle United a victory over Crystal Palace on the same day that West Ham lost a point due to an error. The Magpies were ecstatic when Tyrick Mitchell headed a ball into his own goal after it was put into the area, but it was disallowed because Joe Willock had fouled Vincente Guaita in the Eagles’ goal. What makes this a really dubious decision is the choice to totally disregard the fact that Mitchell had pushed Willock into Guaita, which caused the collision. Any sensible person would have recognised who was at blame in this situation and permitted the goal to remain.
On September 4, 2022, Manchester United defeated Arsenal 3-1.
Gabriel Martinelli should have given Arsenal the lead after breaking through Manchester United’s defence and slotting the ball past David de Gea, but Martin Odegaard disallowed the goal during the buildup because VAR determined that Christian Eriksen had committed a foul. With a shoulder barge, the Norwegian knocked the Red Devils midfielder off the ball, but the Dane fell to the ground, and VAR determined there was enough in it to disallow the goal. However, Eriksen went down way too easily and there was little contact, so it’s hardly surprising that the PGMOL apologised to the Gunners for the decision shortly after.
30 October 2022: Fulham 3-0 Aston Villa
Douglas Luiz, who confronted Aleksandr Mitrovic during Aston Villa’s 3-0 loss to Fulham, was sent out for violent behaviour, which is always a possibility for any player who leans in with their head during a clash. The referee missed the event, which occurred when the Villans were behind 1-0. But Luiz was sent off when VAR pointed it up. It’s easy to understand why in real time, as the midfielder appears to be in a bad position, but upon closer inspection, the Fulham striker starts the altercation with a nudge and then falls way too readily as Luiz turns to face him. Shortly later, the red card was revoked, which pretty much says it all.
Poor Decision
Brentford 2-2 Nottingham Forest (5 November 2022)
Football situations like diving were thought to be eliminated with the introduction of VAR, but Yoane Wissa’s penalty kick for Brentford versus Nottingham Forest showed that this wasn’t quite the case. The forward was facing Dean Henderson one-on-one when he dribbled past the goalie and lost his balance.
He made a complete mess of the attempt, fumbled his lines, and stumbled, but VAR halted play as he hit the ground to assess the incident. They chose to award a penalty when replays revealed Henderson’s hand had touched his leg, despite the fact that the touch was quite gentle and unlikely to have knocked the forward down in the way he did. But in the end, everything worked out, and a year later, he didn’t receive a penalty against Forest that was unquestionably more worthy than the one he earned here.
Liverpool 2-1 Brighton & Hove Albion (January 29, 2023)
You only need to observe Fabinho’s reactions after his horrific tackle on Evan Ferguson to realise how fortunate he was that VAR, for some reason, did not award him a red card for his foul. After the game, the young player was left on crutches after the midfielder surged in on him, but the officials did not consider it a dismissable violation. It’s absurd that VAR didn’t consider this tackle deserving of a red card given some of the ones we’ve already seen this season.
Brighton & Hove Albion 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur (8th April 2023)
This time, Brighton lost because Pierre-Emile Hojberg stood on Kaoru Mitoma’s foot in the Spurs penalty box, which should have resulted in a penalty kick for the Seagulls with the score tied at one. This was another instance where VAR ruled against Brighton incorrectly. Despite the fact that the foul was quite obvious, the officials chose not to call it, and Spurs won the game 2-1. Although there were other VAR calls that went against Brighton, including the disqualification of a few goals, this one should have felt the most unfair. Howard Webb acknowledged that the goal should have stood and even sent a direct apology to the club after the game.
How Did The Referee Think?
Manchester City 0-1 Everton (February 26, 2022)
Both sides of Merseyside will have been incensed by this decision given how close the title race was and Everton’s standing at the time. Rodri should have given up a penalty in the closing moments of the game when he controlled the ball with his arm in his own box, but Phil Foden had given Manchester City a 1-0 lead during their matchup with the Toffees. There was no one nearby when the shot fell from the air, and he obviously moved his arm to control it. The referee must have missed it, but this was not a case of a shot bouncing off his arm from close range. It’s quite amazing that VAR didn’t even try to step in and encourage him to reconsider the matter. Naturally, they quickly expressed regret for the situation, but fortunately, the Toffees were spared relegation.
Manchester United 3-1 Aston Villa (6th November 2022)
The fact that Christian Eriksen literally pointed it out to Anthony Taylor beforehand and he chose to ignore the midfielder only made his error all the worse. The Dane promptly alerted Taylor to the fact that the Red Devils wall was positioned over ten yards from the ball following Villa’s free kick on the outskirts of the United area. However, he disregarded the allegations, causing the wall to stay in place and allowing Lucas Digne to score from the set piece. As a result of the incident, Taylor’s superiors gave him a talking-to, which was only an astonishing demonstration of his lack of knowledge.
Arsenal 1-1 Brentford, February 11, 2023
It’s outrageous that VAR inexplicably failed to notice that Christian Norgaard, who assisted the goal, was obviously offside when the ball was delivered to him, especially after spending three minutes examining Brentford’s equaliser against Arsenal. It didn’t look good for the officials to spend so much time focussing on the present while yet ignoring the most crucial aspect. Though not quite up to the level of these complete howlers that we’ve reserved for the last category, it was nonetheless a very frightening exhibition.
The Ultimate Howler
Brighton & Hove Albion 1-1 Crystal Palace (February 11, 2023)
Though it would be beneficial if VAR actually drew the lines from the correct players, which they inexplicably failed to do during Crystal Palace’s match against Brighton, using lines to evaluate offside judgements is a great idea in theory and should result in getting most calls right. Pervis Estupinan gave the Seagulls the lead, but the goal was disallowed because the referees deemed the full-back was offside after drawing the lines from James Tomkins. The fact that Marc Guehi was actually the deepest defender and was playing Estupinan onside was shockingly overlooked. It was a humiliating performance by the professionals who oversee Premier League game officiating, and it was just schoolboy mistakes.
Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 Manchester United (August 14, 2023)
Wolverhampton Wanderers had a strong start to the season with their performance versus United in the first game, and they will rightfully feel unfairly treated to have lost when many predicted that they would struggle. In addition to their excellent performance, they should have been awarded a penalty in the closing moments when Andre Onana collided with Sasa Kalajdzic in his own box. Despite getting nowhere close to the ball and essentially taking the striker’s head off, VAR failed to call a foul. Even worse, the referees’ director manager, Jon Mass, went straight to Gary O’Neill and apologised for the missed call.
Liverpool 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur (30 September 2023)
Regarding VAR’s errors and the PGMOL’s apologies, the most recent episode seems to have received the greatest attention, and for good cause. Even though Luis Diaz was obviously onside, the decision to rule his goal against Tottenham was ridiculous, and it’s amazing that VAR didn’t make the call. Liverpool is furious about the missed call because the system, which is meant to help referees, was not utilised when it was most needed. We’ll never know how this was permitted to occur because it wasn’t even like the moment was close, and it was obvious to the unaided eye that Diaz was onside.
The Tiermaker is fully visible below. Please let us know in our social media comments if you would classify any of the instances into different categories.
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