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Daily Mirror
23-04-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Howard Webb clarifies two Liverpool vs Everton controversies including VAR 'error'
Liverpool saw off Everton in April's Merseyside derby but Howard Webb admits the referees and VAR made an error by not showing a red card - but backed their other major call The Merseyside derby at the start of April ended with Liverpool landing a narrow 1-0 win over Everton - owing to Diogo Jota 's match winner. The contest wasn't without refereeing controversy though as PGMOL chief Howard Webb confessed VAR made a serious blunder. Liverpool's win allowed them to remain in control of the Premier League title race and atoned for the points they let slip at Goodison Park weeks before as the Toffees scored in the eighth minute of added time at Goodison Park to rescue a point. There would be no repeat but the visitors felt aggrieved by the manner of Jota's winning strike. The Portuguese star was sent though after he received a backheel from Luis Diaz before dodging tackles and slotting home. Replays showed Diaz had been standing in an offside position earlier in the build-up, but he was judged not to have been interfering with play and the goal was allowed to stand. The linesman never put his flag up and the offside check was only precautionary with nothing needing to be flagged. Webb backed his officials on this occasion as he said on Match Officials Mic'd Up: "This all comes down to the point that just being in an offside position, which Luis Diaz is, is not in itself sufficient to be penalised. "It's all about what you do whilst in that position and you have to do one of the things here [listed in the video], to be penalised for offside interfering with an opponent. We don't see Luis Diaz do any of these things whilst in the offside position, he just stands there. "Now you can feel a little bit sorry for Tarkowski here because he stretches out to stop the ball going through to Luis Diaz, but that ship sails some time ago, whereby if you're just in that offside position and don't do anything behind a defender you won't be penalised." Liverpool though will feel as though they should've been playing against ten men long before that. Their players were up in arms as James Tarkowski slid through to challenge Alexis Mac Allister. The defender won the ball, but then caught the Argentine high. Originally a yellow card was given before VAR reviewed the challenge and concluded that Tarkowski had won the ball first and that the subsequent contact was unavoidable. Webb though insists they put too much onus on whether he won the ball with the tackle being branded reckless. He admitted: "This is a red-card challenge. It's an error by the officials not to send Tarkowski off. From the outset with this show, we've committed to showing good examples of VAR use and also where we don't use it in the right way, and this was one of those examples. "The referee recognises on the field that Tarkowski plays the ball and feels that the way he does so is reckless. The VAR then checks that on-field decision of a yellow card and puts too much focus on the fact that Tarkowski plays the ball. "But Tarkowski makes a choice to play the ball in that way. Players have to consider their opponent's safety, even when playing the ball. Tarkowski lunges into the challenge using excessive force and endangers Mac Allister's safety. It should have been a red card."
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Vexing, Annoying Rulings: How VAR Is Breaking the Premier League
When the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system was introduced to the English Premier League (EPL) for the 2019/20 season, it promised to bring clarity and fairness to a game often marred by human error, when it was hoped it would eradicate clear and obvious errors. VAR technology was supposed settle disputes over goals, penalties, red cards, and mistaken identities with precision. Five years on, however, VAR has become a lightning rod for controversy, leaving fans, players, and pundits questioning whether it's done more harm than good. The EPL's adoption of VAR was meant to mirror its success in the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where it corrected 99.35% of decisions, according to FIFA. Yet, in England, the system has struggled to deliver. A 2020 study by the Technical University of Munich found that 76.24% of tweets about VAR during EPL matches were negative, reflecting a sharp dip in fan sentiment that lasted up to 20 minutes after incidents. Fans at stadiums, often left in the dark without replays, now feel disconnected, as lengthy reviews disrupt the game's flow. Advertisement Controversies have continued to pile up. In November 2020, Leeds United's Patrick Bamford had a goal disallowed against Crystal Palace for an offside call dubbed 'armpit offside,' where his pointing arm was deemed to break the line. Bamford's frustration echoed fans' sentiments: 'It's ruining football.' The EPL responded by tweaking offside protocols, introducing thicker lines for marginal calls in the 2021/22 season, but complaints persisted. In September 2023, a miscommunication between VAR officials wrongly disallowed a Liverpool goal against Tottenham, prompting an apology from Professional Game Match Official Chief, Howard Webb. The league introduced 'Match Officials Mic'd Up,' a TV show to explain VAR decisions, but it's done little to quell distrust. Most recently, in November 2024, referee David Coote's suspension after a viral video showed him disparaging Liverpool highlighted ongoing tensions around VAR's human element. VAR Control RoomGetty Images Has VAR improved the EPL? I'd argue a big no! While the Premier League claims decision accuracy has risen from 82% to 96%, the cost has been steep. The game's spontaneity, its raw, emotional core, has been eroded by pedantic rulings and delays. A 2020 YouGov poll found 67% of regular EPL viewers said matches were less enjoyable post-VAR. The introduction of semi-automated offside technology for the 2024/25 season aims to speed up decisions, but it is a bandage on a deeper wound: VAR's obsession with perfection clashes with football's imperfect charm. The EPL's handling of VAR and the resultant controversies, through apologies, rule tweaks, and transparency efforts, feels a lot reactive and not a lot transformative. Fans want a system that respects the game's spirit, not one that dissects it frame by frame. Until then, VAR remains a noble idea that's failed to win hearts.
Telegraph
11-03-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Howard Webb: VAR made Everton vs Man Utd error – but decision to overturn penalty was right
Referees' chief Howard Webb has admitted officials made a mistake in not showing the correct replays of Everton's controversially overturned penalty in their 2-2 draw with Manchester United, yet insisted the correct decision was made. Everton players were left incensed after a foul on Ashley Young was overturned following a VAR review, which recommended referee Andy Madley overturn his decision to award them an injury-time penalty in last month's draw at Goodison Park. Webb has since conceded that Madley was not shown the correct angles of the incident as he did not get a clear look at the shirt pull committed by United defender Matthijs de Ligt, only angles that focused on his team-mate Harry Maguire, who had originally been penalised for the foul. Yet despite widespread opinion that De Ligt had committed a foul on Young – including former referee Dermot Gallagher claiming the Dutch international 'has got hold of his shirt for long enough to give the penalty' – Webb has insisted Everton should not have been awarded a penalty. 'When checking the sequence, the VAR and the AVAR, you'll see them looking at this wide angle to give the view on Maguire. You'll hear the AVAR talk about De Ligt and asking a question. Does De Ligt commit an offence or not,' said Webb, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited technical director, to Michael Owen on Match Officials Mic'd Up. 'So they're aware of De Ligt having potentially done something. They form the opinion that Maguire is not committing an offence, but then they go on to ask the referee at the screen to consider the actions of De Ligt. But I absolutely acknowledge and accept the angles that are presented to the referee at that point don't show clearly enough what De Ligt does. Not penalise on the field, of course, but they want to show it. 'But they need to show him some of these angles earlier when he gets to the screen, instead of staying on the wide angle, which doesn't really show as clearly as is, needs to be shown De Ligt's actions. 'I'm not saying De Ligt's actions are a foul. They need to show this angle to be able to make that determination at the screen. And of course these angles were shown on broadcast. So the world is seeing these, and I guess that's where some of the criticism came from in terms of how this process played out.' Fresh footage of the discussion revealed that the VAR Matt Donohue recommended a closer look at De Ligt, highlighting: 'Before you leave the screen, just consider the actions of De Ligt as well. Again, I don't believe there to be a foul there but I'd like you to consider them for your viewing.' However, Madley was not shown a crucial angle from behind the goal that clearly displayed De Ligt twice pulling at Young's shirt as he ran towards the ball before the VAR review was completed. Webb: 'Not all contacts are a foul' Despite this admission, Webb doubled down that Everton should not have received a penalty. 'We've spoken during pre-season and during the season many times on this show about not all contacts are a foul. Just because you have a small tug it doesn't necessarily mean it's something you're going to penalise,' Webb added. 'We're trying to look for impact of that action and the way that Young falls forward. He spreads his legs. He kind of like throws himself forward somewhat in my opinion and it isn't commensurate with the amount of hold that you see from De Ligt. 'So we don't think this meets the threshold of a penalty in its own right. And that was certainly the view of the referee when he went to the screen and was shown momentarily the view from the angle behind the goal. 'But I accept that we should have shown not only that angle, but this angle that we can see here as well, so that he's able to make that full evaluation. And people at home watching this can see that he's had a full view of everything coming to the decision. I'm pretty certain he would come to the same decision anyway, but at least people would know that he's seen the full information.'
New York Times
18-02-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Howard Webb explains why Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly should not have been sent off vs Wolves
English football's refereeing chief Howard Webb has said Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly should not have been sent off in last month's Premier League match at Wolverhampton Wanderers because his challenge had no 'excessive force or brutality'. The full-back, 18, was shown a straight red card for 'serious foul play' by referee Michael Oliver in the 43rd minute of the game on January 25 after a challenge on Wolves defender Matt Doherty. Advertisement The club later appealed against what would have been a three-match ban for Lewis-Skelly and were successful in overturning the sanction. Webb said that on-field referee Michael Oliver saw the situation as 'serious foul play' which would merit a red, but the former referee insisted he would 'prefer a yellow card in this situation'. GO DEEPER Explaining Myles Lewis-Skelly's shock red card - and how Arsenal recovered from it Speaking on the incident on the Match Officials Mic'd Up programme, released on Tuesday, February 18, Webb said: 'He (Oliver) saw a player moving in towards an opponent without any ability to play the ball, without any intention of playing the ball and with the intention of stopping the opponent. And the referee sees a raised foot make high contact and then the opponent go down. 'So in his opinion, it was serious foul play. The VAR checked the footage to see whether that decision was clearly and obviously wrong and determined that it wasn't, seeing that contact that was quite high on the leg.' However, Webb then caveated the decision by outlining how the foul itself did not merit a red card. 'We know that for serious foul play we need excessive force or brutality,' Webb continued. 'And what we see here is that high contact glancing and coming off the leg quite quickly. 'So for that reason, everybody pretty much in the game has formed the same conclusion that we now form, that this is falling short of serious foul play because of that glancing contact, because the studs don't really go right into the leg and they glance it before coming down onto the foot.' Arsenal went on to win the game 1-0 through a late Riccardo Calafiori goal, with Joao Gomes shown a red card for Wolves in the 70th minute. GO DEEPER Arsenal fined £65k over players' reaction to Lewis-Skelly red card at Wolves (James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Oliver wrong to send off Lewis-Skelly - refs' chief Webb
Referees' chief Howard Webb says Michael Oliver was wrong to send off Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly during their Premier League win at Wolves. Arsenal were fined £65,000 for failing to control their players during the incident in which 18-year-old Lewis-Skelly was shown a straight red card for a foul on Matt Doherty in a 1-0 win at Molineux on 25 January. Video assistant referee (VAR) Darren England upheld referee Oliver's decision that Lewis-Skelly committed serious foul play. The Gunners appealed against the decision and the teenager's three-match ban was subsequently overturned. Former England captain Alan Shearer, speaking on BBC Match of the Day, said at the time the sending-off was "one of the worst decisions I've seen in a long time". Speaking on the latest episode of Match Officials Mic'd Up - a Premier League Productions programme which analyses VAR decisions from previous gameweeks - Webb said while the officials got the decision wrong, it was not a "horrendous" one to make. "From the outset, we would prefer a yellow card in this situation," added Webb. "I've heard this described as a really horrendous officiating decision. It's not. I understand why the referee saw this on the day as a serious foul-play action." Lewis-Skelly was dismissed for catching Doherty above the ankle with a late tackle to break up a counter-attack just outside the Wolves box in the 43rd minute when the game was goalless. Aged 18 years and 121 days at the time, Lewis-Skelly became the third-youngest player to be sent off in the Premier League, behind Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen. It split opinion, with former Premier League referee Mike Dean telling Sky Sports: "When you see a still image you understand what he has done. "He has put his studs down his leg for serious foul play. Scraped down the Achilles." But former Chelsea and Scotland winger Pat Nevin said he was "stunned" by the red card. "Myles Lewis-Skelly is only 10 yards outside the opposition's box," added Nevin. "It must be for violent conduct, but that doesn't look like violent conduct. "It's a cynical trip. I have never seen that in my life. I am stunned by a red card." After the match, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told Match of the Day the decision was "so obvious that today you don't need my words". "I am absolutely fuming, but I leave it with you," he said to Sky Sports. "Because it is that obvious, I don't think my words are going to help." Webb, who is in charge of the referees' body Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), said VAR England should have intervened to notice the "glanced studs" from Lewis-Skelly that should have kept him on the pitch. "Clearly the referee on the day felt the actions of Myles Lewis-Skelly - he saw the player moving in towards an opponent without any ability or intention of playing the ball - with the intention of stopping the opponent. "And the referee sees a raised foot make high contact and the opponent went down. "But we know that for serious foul play, we need excessive force or brutality and what we see here is that high contact [just] glancing and coming off the leg quite quickly. "So for that reason, everybody pretty much in the game has formed the same conclusion that this is falling short of serious foul play - because of that glancing contact. "Because the studs don't really go right into the leg, they glance in before coming down on to the foot." After the match, PGMOL said police were investigating "threats and abuse" directed at Oliver and his family on social media. Oliver returned to refereeing swiftly, taking charge of Southampton's 2-1 win at Ipswich a week after sending off Lewis-Skelly. He then refereed the 2-2 draw between Everton and Liverpool on 12 February. In that last Merseyside derby at Goodison Park before Everton move to Bramley-Moore Dock, he showed Curtis Jones and Abdoulaye Doucoure red cards after the game had ended when the pair clashed as the latter started celebrating in front of the away fans. In a chaotic ending, Liverpool manager Arne Slot and assistant Sipke Hulshoff were also sent off by Oliver. "Nobody should be subject to threats, their families shouldn't be subject to threats - whether that be officials or players," added Webb when asked about the comments Oliver received on social media after dismissing Lewis-Skelly. "It's really disappointing. "People won't always want to agree with the decision. Yes, they can criticise where they feel that is justifiable, but not to the level we saw in this situation where it led to threats against the referee, the officials in this game and their families. "It's wholly unacceptable." Premier League index Premier League table Premier League fixtures Follow your Premier League club and get news, analysis and fan views sent direct to you
