Premier League Acknowledges 13 VAR Errors This Season
The Premier League has confirmed that there have been 13 mistakes made by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system so far this season. This represents a decrease from the 20 errors recorded at the same point last season.
The Premier League’s Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel, responsible for reviewing VAR decisions, identified four incorrect interventions and nine missed interventions in the first 23 rounds of matches. Despite these errors, the league maintains that the overall accuracy of VAR decisions is high, with 96.4% of key match incidents being correctly adjudicated.
Impact of Errors and Abuse Towards Officials
Premier League chief football officer Tony Scholes acknowledged the significant impact that even a single VAR error can have on clubs, players, and managers.
“Nobody here underestimates the significance and the impact of one single error,” Scholes said. “We know that one single error can cost clubs. Points and results can cost managers positions, potentially players their place.”
The issue of abuse towards officials has also been highlighted, with referees facing threats and intimidation both online and in person. Scholes emphasized the need for greater respect towards officials and called for a more balanced approach in the commentary surrounding their decisions.
“We all have a responsibility to have some balance in the comments that are made,” Scholes said. “We cannot have the officials, such a key part of a successful and entertaining league, facing the kind of abuse that occurs on occasion.”
VAR’s Incorrect Interventions
The Premier League has revealed the four instances where VAR intervened incorrectly this season:
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Disallowed Goal: Dango Ouattara’s goal for Bournemouth against Newcastle United was incorrectly ruled out for handball.
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Penalty Awarded: A penalty was wrongly awarded against Manchester United’s Matthijs de Ligt for a challenge on West Ham’s Danny Ings.
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Red Card Shown: Brentford’s Christian Norgaard was wrongly shown a red card for a challenge on Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
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Goal Disallowed: Nikola Milenkovic’s goal for Nottingham Forest against Southampton was incorrectly disallowed for offside.
Missed Interventions
The Premier League declined to specify the nine missed interventions, but it is likely that the controversial red card shown to Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly against Wolves was among them.
Despite the errors and controversies, the Premier League maintains that VAR is improving and that the overall accuracy of decisions is high. They are committed to further enhancing the system and reducing the number of errors in the future.
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