Listen to audio from match officials, including the VAR, as Virgil van Dijk is shown a red card for his foul on Alexander Isak in Liverpool’s Premier League fixture at Newcastle. PGMOL chief Howard Webb confirming it was the correct decision
Liverpool fans will this week have the opportunity to listen in on discussions between Premier League referees and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system regarding how decisions are made.
This initiative follows a successful trial during Liverpool’s league match against Leicester City in May, where Howard Webb appeared on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football coverage to broadcast audio of officials communicating with those at the PGMOL’s Stockley Park base. To further enhance transparency, a programme called “Match Officials: Mic’d Up” will be aired on Sky Sports at 8pm UK time on Wednesday, featuring a similar format to the previous edition.
However, there have been numerous contentious decisions throughout the current campaign that could be assessed. One such incident involved the Reds when Alexis Mac Allister was wrongly shown a red card for a challenge on Bournemouth’s Ryan Christie last month.
Despite VAR lead Paul Tierney’s failure to overturn the decision, it was eventually successfully appealed. Another example occurred during the first Monday Night Football of the season, when Wolves were denied a late penalty despite Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana making significant contact with Sasa Kalajdzic in the box.
PGMOL’s Jon Moss later issued an apology to Wolves boss Gary O’Neil for the poor decision. The recent Premier League weekend also witnessed a perplexing moment as Nathan Aké’s goal for Manchester City was allowed to stand against Fulham, despite Manuel Akanji being in an offside position and interfering with play before the ball crossed the line.
