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      Premier League table WITHOUT VAR decisions revealed with new league leaders and Chelsea still in deep trouble

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      THE top of the Premier League would look very different if VAR wasn’t used this season.VAR has been as contentious as ever since the start of the new campaign and Saturday’s horror show between Liverpool and Spurs has left fans asking if we would be better off without it.
      Fans have been calling for VAR to go after Saturday’s mistakes during Liverpool’s 2-1 loss to TottenhamCredit: Alamy
      The Premier League table without VAR this season would see Man City knocked off top spotCredit: Getty
      But not everyone would be so keen on how the league table would look if the tech wasn’t in place as the alternative standings have been revealed.
      The biggest news comes at the top of the table as Man City would see their spot in first place handed to Tottenham.
      Ange Postecoglou’s men have been superb since since the Aussie came in and if it wasn’t for VAR’s intervention they would be looking down on all 19 of their competitors.
      Bryan Mbuemo’s penalty in Tottenham’s 2-2 draw with Brentford would never have been given, turning the Lilywhite’s one point into three.
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      In fact it’s the Bees who should be the most grateful for VAR as stripping it away would see them winless so far this season.
      Thomas Frank’s side would have lost twice and drawn all five of their other games, dropping them down one spot in the standings from 13th to 14th.
      Down in the relegation zone Burnley would be two points better off and would have secured their first win of the campaign.
      Their three points wouldn’t be enough to lift them out of the drop zone just yet, but the change in points could have come in handy later on in the season.
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      Tottenham would be top of the table if there was no VAR intervention this seasonCredit: Alamy
      Thomas Frank’s Brentford wouldn’t have won a single game this season if it wasn’t for VARCredit: Getty
      Chelsea’s shocking start to the season, which in real terms sees them in 15th place with just one win, would be no different.
      Mauricio Pochettino’s side would still be stuck on just five points and winless since their victory over Luton in August.
      Erik ten Hag can’t look at VAR as an excuse for Manchester United’s worst points tally since 1989 either.
      The Red Devils would still be in 10th place with just nine points and their shocking four losses already this season.
      Liverpool were left furious after the PGMOL had to issue an apology for not allowing Luis Diaz’s goal to stand in their 2-1 loss to Spurs at the weekend.
      But with the on-field decision being offside, they would still be left disappointed if VAR wasn’t in place.
      Chelsea’s terrible start to the campaign wouldn’t be changed without VARCredit: Getty
      Manchester United are unable to use the tech as an excuse eitherCredit: AFP More

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      Athletics referee rushed to hospital with shattered leg after being hit by stray HAMMER

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      AN ASIAN GAMES official had to be rushed to hospital after his leg was broken by a flying hammer.Huang Qinhua was stretchered out of the stadium following the incident but has since been snapped in good spirits from hospital.
      A Asian Games referee was left with a shattered leg after they were struck by a stray hammerCredit: AFP
      Ali Zankawi’s misthrow hit official Huang QinhuaCredit: AFP
      The official was injured after a misthrow from Kuwait’s Ali Zankawi during Saturday’s men’s final at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
      Qinhua, who had been stood behind loose netting surrounding the throwing circle, was left with a shattered leg.
      The netting is fitted loosely in order to prevent hammers and discusses from flying back at athletes.
      Blood could be seen pouring from his leg after he was struck by the 16lbs hammer.
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      Zankawi immediately ran over to the 62-year-old official and was on hand to help apply a tourniquet to restrict the blood flow.
      Visibly shocked by the incident, the 39-year-old athlete is said to have repeatedly asked about Qinhua after he left the Olympic Stadium.
      Other officials had helped him onto a stretcher and out of the venue whilst he clutched himself in agony.
      In a statement, an Asian Games official said: “He arrived at the hospital at 20:15, where was diagnosed with a right open tibiofibular fracture. Currently his vital signs are stable.”
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      Zankawi was visibly shocked and rushed to help QinhuaCredit: AFP
      Qinhua had to be stretchered out of the Olympic Stadium in HangzhouCredit: AFP
      Zankawi later visited Qinhua in hospital after the eventCredit: AFP
      Qinhua has since been pictured with Zankawi in hospital after the athlete visited him once the final was over.
      The Kuwaiti went on to finish eighth after throwing a season’s best of 67.57 metres.
      Saturday’s incident is not the only piece of drama from this year’s Asian Games.
      Sunday’s football quarter-final between North Korea and Japan saw the former’s players clash with the referee following a 2-1 defeat.
      Zankawi went on to place eighth in the men’s hammer throw finalCredit: Getty More

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      Shocking moment North Korean players clash with referee after 2-1 defeat to Japan as match ends in chaos

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      THIS WAS the shock moment that North Korea’s football stars ATTACKED the referee after they were beaten by Japan.North Korea boss Sin Yong Nam defended his players despite their angry reaction to the 2-1 defeat in the quarter-finals of the Asian Games yesterday.
      North Korean players shockingly attacked a referee at the Asian GamesCredit: AP
      They were furious and charged after the official and shoved his arm after the loss to JapanCredit: AP
      Security was forced to intervene in order to save the refereeCredit: Twitter
      Captain Jang Kuk Chol and his colleague Kim Kyong Sok were seen on camera remonstrating furiously and shoving the arm of official Rustam Lutfullin following the full-time whistle in Hangzhou.
      The Uzbekistan referee tried to back away as the players continued to pursue him as the assist referees and security staff raced over to intervene.
      And Tong Nam himself even ran over in an attempt to try and defuse the explosive situation.
      The North Korean team were furious about Lutfullin’s decision to award Japan a penalty after goalkeeper Kang Juh Yok clipped the feet of Jun Nishikawa with his arm.
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      The stopper instantly began shaking his head in frustration and waving his arms as he argued with the whistleblower.
      But his protests were to no avail, and Yuta Matsumura kept his cool to slot home in the 80th minute to seal Japan’s progress into the semis.
      The scenes soon went viral and fans across the globe quickly condemned the behaviour of the North Korean players afterwards.
      But Tong Nam bizarrely said post-game: “I admit that our players were a little bit over-excited in the match but it is football.
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      “But there are confrontations in football matches… I think our behaviour is acceptable.”
      Meanwhile, opposite number Go Oiwa said: “This match was as we expected.
      “There are some things (we are) not happy about in the match but basically we can accept that.”
      Japan will now face Hong Kong in the semis after they caused an upset by beating Iran 1-0.
      Defending champions South Korea are also into the last four after a 2-0 win over hosts China.
      And they will take on Uzbekistan, who had overcome Saudi Arabia 2-1 earlier in the day. More

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      Mark Halsey: VAR is NOT the issue, it’s the people using it… here’s my five-point plan to fix it after latest shambles

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      HOWARD WEBB, the PGMOL chief, has a mammoth job to regain the trust of players, managers and fans after the biggest VAR blunder we’ve ever seen.We have had inconsistent calls on handballs, challenges and penalty incidents since the technology was introduced.
      VAR was in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons during Tottenham’s win over LiverpoolCredit: Alamy
      Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey believes five areas of improvement are needed to fix VARCredit: Rex
      But there’s a major problem when we start getting factual decisions wrong, such as the goal by Liverpool’s Luis Diaz being unfairly ruled out for offside against Spurs.
      VAR isn’t the problem — it’s the personnel using the technology and it’s no wonder people are losing trust and faith in the system.
      No one wants PGMOL ­statements, apologises or explanations on TV shows — refs’ boss Webb must forget all that.
      He just needs to sort out VAR — and the standard of officiating — fast because the technology is a good tool IF used correctly.
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      The Premier League has the best players and managers and the supporters pay a lot of money.
      But the officials, with VAR bunglers Darren England and AVAR Dan Cook the latest culprits, nowhere near the level required.
      Everyone makes mistakes but they are now happening every weekend.
      Here’s a five-point plan to avoid further horror shows:
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      IMPROVE COMMUNICATION
      Only the on-field referee and VAR should speak — nobody else.
      During the review process, from the cases we have heard, the system is too chaotic with far too much chit-chat going on. Just cut out the “mate this” and “pal that”.
      Conversations must be more precise, to the point and clinical. We can learn from cricket and both rugby codes where reviews are slick.
      At the moment, there’s too much going on over the mic which leads to confusion.
      MAKE THE AUDIO PUBLIC
      Fans must be allowed to hear the conversation between ref and VAR. We’re in 2023, not 1973. I know IFAB currently prevents this and Webb wants this to come in.
      But we need to push to make this happen because Webb and Co must regain the trust and faith of everyone in the game.
      Suspicions have been raised over some VAR offside decisions in recent weeks — but the only way to be transparent is for fans to hear the audio.
      It would remove that layer of doubts that is now creeping in.
      Luis Diaz was wrongly deemed offside before scoring at Tottenham and VAR didn’t intervene
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      VAR officials had four days of extra training before the start of the season — but was that really enough?
      Referees have not trained for all those years to sit in front of a TV screen. It’s a different job and do they really know what they are looking for?
      Pundits have sat there for years, have the experience of watching matches for hours on end to make the correct judgements.
      Prem clubs haven’t helped themselves by voting against the semi-automatic offside system and it needs to be revisited and introduced straight away.
      SET UP A SPECIALIST PANEL OF VAR OPERATORS
      We need a dedicated team that just focuses on VAR because the personnel at present is a huge issue.
      They must be non-active officials, ex-refs or former players who know the laws of the game.
      Ex-players know what a poor challenge is and also the natural and unnatural positions of the arm/hand when judging deliberate and accidental handball.
      Mike Dean was an excellent ref but not suited to using VAR and was quickly moved on.
      Curtis Jones was sent off after VAR showed referee Simon Hooper a still imageCredit: Premier League
      STOP USING STILL PICTURES
      When ref Simon Hooper went to the monitor at Spurs on Saturday, VAR England had lined up a still picture of Curtis Jones’ tackle on Yves Bissouma.
      That immediately plants a seed in the ref’s mind over what the outcome will be.
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      Stills and slow motion make every challenge much worse than what it is.
      Reviews must be in real time initially. More

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      Fans spot moment Spurs star Udogie should have been shown red card as litany of referee errors pile up after VAR debacle

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      IT gets worse for the refereeing team of last night’s match between Liverpool and Tottenham. That’s after fans spotted the moment they believe that Destiny Udogie should have been sent off for a second yellow card.
      Fans think Destiny Udogie should have been sent off against LiverpoolCredit: Alamy
      The Spurs star could be seen gesturing to the referee to issue Diogo Jota a bookingCredit: Sky Sports
      Simon Hooper had already shown Udogie a yellow card, and the gesture for another is a bookable offenceCredit: Alamy
      The Spurs full-back picked up a yellow card just before half time, but many fans think he should’ve received another in the second half.
      Eagle-eyed supporters have noticed that the Italian gestured towards referee Simon Hooper that Diogo Jota should’ve been put in the book.
      The action of asking for another player to be booked has been ruled out this season with a number of players already seeing yellow for the offence.
      A second yellow would have seen Udogie given his marching orders in a match where Liverpool spent over 25 minutes playing with just NINE men.
      READ MORE ON VAR BLUNDER
      Fans are fuming with the revelation and took to social media to vent their frustrations at the officials.
      One said: “I have no words.”
      Whilst another added: “This is when you know the game is gone.”
      A third wrote: “Udogie second yellow for waving an imaginary card??”
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      And it’s not just the one incident that fans have been left fuming with after Curtis Jones was issued a straight red card in the first half for a contentious tackle.
      On top of that Liverpool had the ball in the back of the net from Luis Diaz in the 34th minute, only for VAR to fail to overrule an incorrect offside call.
      The PGMOL have now issued a statement apologising for their intervention with the Liverpool forward actually ONSIDE when he scored.
      The mistake was said to be a “human error” and has resulted in the VAR officials in charge being axed for their next games.
      To add insult to injury for Reds fans, Spurs walked away with all three points after Joel Matip turned the ball into his own net in the 96th minute to see the game end 2-1.
      Diogo Jota was sent off for two yellow card offencesCredit: Getty
      Curtis Jones also saw red for a controversial tackleCredit: Getty
      Luis Diaz was called offside, despite replays showing he was being played on by Cristian Romero
      Joel Matip turned the ball into his own net in the 96th minuteCredit: Getty
      Spurs celebrated remaining unbeaten in the league after their 2-1 winCredit: Alamy More

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      VAR refs AXED following Spurs vs Liverpool offside shambles with Darren England taken off upcoming Premier League game

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      DARREN ENGLAND has been AXED from his upcoming VAR duties following his howler in Tottenham’s controversial win over Liverpool.The 37-year-old ref incorrectly ruled out a perfectly fine goal from Reds hitman Luis Diaz in the first half of the match, which the Merseysiders lost 2-1.
      Luis Diaz thought he’d scored a perfectly fine goal in Liverpool’s trip to TottenhamCredit: Rex
      The goal was ruled out for offsideCredit: REX
      Replays clearly showed the Colombian was onside
      Darren England has been axed from his VAR duties for his howler of a callCredit: REX
      Colombia international Diaz thought he’d put the visitors in the lead in the 34th minute with a nifty finish just inside the 18-yard box.
      But on-the-field ref Simon Hooper and VAR official England bizarrely ruled out the goal – despite replays clearly showing Diaz was onside.
      And Prem chiefs have come down hard on VAR man for the day England, removing him from his duties for his next proposed outing.
      England was due to be the video official for this afternoon’s match between Nottingham Forest and Brentford.
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      But last night’s calamitous call has resulted in him being removed from his post.
      A statement read: “PGMOL can confirm the following match official appointment changes for the remaining fixtures in match round 7 in the Premier League.
      “Darren England, VAR on the Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool fixture, and Dan Cook, AVAR on the same game, have been replaced for the Nottingham Forest v Brentford and Fulham v Chelsea matches today and tomorrow night respectively.
      “Craig Pawson will now assume England’s duties as fourth official at the City Ground while Eddie Smart will take over from Cook as assistant referee at Craven Cottage.”
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      The Professional Game Match Officials Limited acknowledged England and Hooper’s collective clanger shortly after the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tussle.
      And they vowed to conduct a “full” investigation into the outrageous call.
      “PGMOL acknowledge a significant human error occurred during the first half of Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool,” their apology read.
      “The goal by Luis Diaz was disallowed for offside by the on-field team of match officials.
      “This was a clear and obvious factual error and should have resulted in the goal being awarded through VAR intervention.
      “However the VAR failed to intervene.
      “PGMOL will conduct a full review into the circumstances which led to the error.
      “PGMOL will immediately be contacting Liverpool at the conclusion of the fixture to acknowledge the error.”
      Kop chief Jurgen Klopp was left baffled by the decision to rule out Diaz’s goal, which was compounded two minutes later when Spurs’ Son Heung-Min broke the deadlock.
      The German said: “I don’t think there is anything to say about the offside goal.
      “I knew about it at half-time.
      “In the first moment, I thought it was clearly onside but you think they have a better view.
      “I am pretty sure whoever made the decision didn’t do it on purpose. It didn’t take extremely long to come to the conclusion.
      “That’s a bit strange but someone else has to explain.
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      “The linesman thought it was worth watching again – that’s why he raised the flag.
      “In the good old times, the linesman should have seen it was not offside because we had these situations quite frequently and when you see it back it is pretty clear.”
      Kop chief Jurgen Klopp was left baffled by the ruling out of Luis Diaz’s goalCredit: REX
      Son Heung-Min compounded Liverpool’s misery two minutes by firing Spurs aheadCredit: Reuters More

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      What is the PGMOL in football?

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      PGMOL has been the topic of discussion in a lot of football matches – but not for the right reasons.The PGMOL have been forced to come out on a number of occasions and admit to any wrongdoing during a football match.
      Liverpool were the latest team to receive an apology from the PGMOLCredit: Rex
      And fans have been left with a bitter taste in their mouth.
      What is the PGMOL?
      The PGMOL is the English professional body that represents refereeing games.
      It is abbreviated for Professional Game Match Officials Limited but it was previously called the PGMOB (Professional Game Match Official Board).
      PGMOL was first introduced in 2001 when English referees became professional and it is in charge of overseeing all matches in the English football leagues including the Premier League.
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      The PGMOL is also responsible for any FA Associaton match or competition such as the FA Cup or the FA Community Shield.
      Iconic referee Howard Webb is the PGMOL Chief Refereeing Officer and he has been part of the PGMOB following his retirement in 2014.
      Why did the PGMOL have to apologise to Liverpool?
      The PGMOL have released a grovelling apology after admitting they made an error during Tottenham’s 2-1 win over Liverpool.
      With the score still 0-0, Liverpool star Luis Diaz was played through in the 34th minute before grabbing a goal, only for it to be ruled out as offside.
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      However, closer inspection of the incident showed the 26-year-old was actually being played onside by Cristian Romero.
      And it ended up being costly with Liverpool going on to lose the game 2-1 following a last-minute Joel Matip own goal.
      PGMOL have now admitted a “significant” mistake was made by VAR after they failed to draw the lines to check the offside.
      Jurgen Klopp was fuming at the onfield decisionsCredit: Rex
      What was said?
      The statement read: “PGMOL acknowledge a significant human error occurred during the first half of Tottenham Hotspur Liverpool.
      “The goal by Luis Diaz was disallowed for offside by the on-field team of match officials.
      “This was a clear and obvious factual error and should have resulted in the goal being awarded through VAR intervention, however, the VAR failed to intervene.
      “PGMOL will conduct a full review into the circumstances which led to the error.
      “PGMOL will immediately be contacting Liverpool at the conclusion of the fixture to acknowledge the error.” More

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      Premier League could lose top referee Michael Oliver as official, 38, is approached for lucrative new job

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      MICHAEL OLIVER has been approached by Saudi Arabia to gauge his interest in quitting the Premier League.And SunSport understands England’s top referee would be open to a lucrative switch to the Gulf State.
      The Saudi Pro League is hoping to lure Michael Oliver away from the Premier LeagueCredit: Alamy
      Saudi aim to recruit European officials between now and the end of this season with Oliver one of their top targets because many clubs do not trust local referees.
      The Northumberland whistler, 38, was in the Middle East this week, officiating the biggest match in the United Arab Emirates Pro League on Thursday between Sharjah and Al Ain after PGMOL boss Howard Webb and the Prem approved the invite.
      Prem referees are able to officiate matches overseas as a one-off arrangement with Oliver in charge of Al Ain’s 3-2 win rather than any of the midweek Carabao Cup third-round games.
      Oliver, who was joined by assistants Stuart Burt and Dan Cook with Darren England as VAR, returned from the three-day trip in Dubai to Newcastle on Friday.
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      He has been appointed as fourth official for Tottenham’s home clash with Liverpool and will also be the VAR when Nottingham Forest host Brentford at the City Ground tomorrow.
      Saudi have spent eye-watering money as ex-Prem players Jordan Henderson, N’Golo Kante and Ruben Neves among others made the move last summer.
      The transfer spending by the Pro League in the last window was second only to the Prem with more than £800million splashed out.
      Prem refs earn between £120,000 and £300,000 a year but salaries in Saudi would be lucrative compared to what the top-flight can offer.
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      Top officials are becoming increasingly frustrated with Jonathan Moss, who became the new manager of the Select Group One in the summer of 2022, and that discontent could lead to elite referees moving elsewhere.
      Oliver, who has had previous interest from the MLS in America as reported by SunSport, is a Fifa official which allows him to referee international matches as well as European club fixtures including the Champions League.
      But if the initial interest turns into a concrete deal, Oliver would have to weigh up if it is worth giving up his badge.
      Saudi could nominate him to regain his Fifa badge, allowing him to officiate international matches again and that could be a condition of any move.
      PGMOL, the English referees’ body, said in a statement last week: “Any interest in our officials from other leagues demonstrates the strong reputation of English officials across the globe.” More