After a weekend filled with controversy, the Premier League has taken action by replacing John Brooks as VAR official for two upcoming matches.
Brooks made a critical error during Crystal Palace’s match against Brighton, disallowing a Pervis Estupinan goal for offside due to incorrectly drawn lines. As a result, David Coote will assume VAR duties for Arsenal vs Manchester City match.
This decision comes after another contentious VAR decision in Arsenal’s match against Brentford. VAR official Lee Mason forgot to draw lines to show an offside situation in the build-up to Ivan Toney’s goal.
PGMOL, which oversees match officials, has apologized for both incidents and is reviewing the errors – ‘PGMOL can confirm its Chief Refereeing Officer Howard Webb has contacted both Arsenal and Brighton & Hove Albion to acknowledge and explain the significant errors in the VAR process in their respective Premier League fixtures on Saturday,’ a statement was issued acknowledging the apology.
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher attributed the error to human error, compounded by time pressure. Lee Mason had deemed Ethan Pinnock offside but judged he was not interfering with play as he could not head the ball due to its height. However, he forgot to complete the process by drawing the lines.
The Premier League has received criticism over VAR decisions throughout the season, with some even calling for its removal. The league hopes that replacing Brooks for upcoming matches and reviewing errors will improve the VAR process and maintain the integrity of the game.
“I will only be satisfied if they give me the two points back” 😤
Mikel Arteta says the VAR decision that cost Arsenal a crucial victory against Brentford was NOT a ‘human error’❌pic.twitter.com/09rNbbPwEt
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 14, 2023
