The Premier League will review as a priority with Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the refereeing body, two controversial VAR decisions that saw Newcastle United and West Ham United have crucial goals disallowed on Saturday.
Newcastle thought they had scored in the 51st minute when Crystal Palace defender Tyrick Mitchell put the ball in his own net. But Lee Mason, one of two full-time VARs in the Premier League, advised referee Michael Salisbury to rule out the goal for a foul by Joe Willock on Vicente Guaita.
However, Willock appeared to be pushed into the Palace goalkeeper by Mitchell. The game finished goalless.
West Ham also had a goal chalked off when Jarrod Bowen was penalised for fouling Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy just before Maxwel Cornet scored what would have been a last-minute equaliser.
VAR Jarred Gillett told referee Andy Madley that the goal should be ruled out as Bowen caught Mendy with his trailing leg, but there appeared to be little influence on the goal itself. West Ham lost the game 2-1.
At the start of this season the Premier League created a newly formed independent panel — featuring a representative from PGMOL and the Premier League and three former players — to assess all major incidents with the findings presented to the clubs involved at the end of the week.
But the review into the weekend’s incidents is separate and intends to look at how and why the VAR became involved to disallow the two goals. PGMOL will be co-operating with the Premier League to look at these two particular incidents and the outcome will form part of the assessment of weekly performances and the development of match officials.
The Premier League introduced its Elite Referee Development Plan earlier this year in an effort to improve standards, with former World Cup final referee Howard Webb to leave MLS to become the new chief refereeing officer at the end of the year.
Mike Riley will step down from his role as general manager of PGMOL as part of the restructuring, while several new positions have been created to try to improve the training and management of professional referees in the English game.
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