Refereeing

MARK HALSEY has called for refs chief Mike Riley to quit after the latest set of Premier League blunders.
Under-fire VAR chiefs admitted they cocked up with THREE penalty errors at Aston Villa, Bournemouth and Everton alone on Thursday night.

4

Mike Riley should quit as refs chief, says Mark halseyCredit: PA:Press Association

4

Fernandes was awarded a penalty for stamping on Konsa on ThursdayCredit: AP:Associated Press
West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady has reiterated VAR should be scrapped and former top ref Halsey wants Riley to leave his post.
Halsey said: “Everyone has a shelf-life and the time has come for Mike Riley to step down.
“We have seen a steady decline in the standard of officiating and things are getting worse.
“The implementation of VAR has been a disaster and the buck stops with Mike.

“We need an overhaul and the time is now for change.”
Ex-Fifa and Prem ref Keith Hackett, who was replaced by Riley as the PGMOL manager in 2009, has also called for an overhaul after blasting the Prem’s use of the technology as “embarrassing”.
He tweeted: “I would never question a referee’s integrity. They are incompetent.
“The PGMOL needs a complete change. We are operating VAR in this country against the lawmakers’ protocols.

“It’s frankly embarrassing.”
On Manchester United’s fortunate penalty and Spurs striker Harry Kane also being denied a clear spot-kick at Bournemouth, Hackett fumed: “Never a penalty kick in a million years.
“Such poor decision making, how can they also miss the blatant push on Harry Kane.”
Southampton also won a penalty at Everton although James Ward-Prowse initiated the contact on Andre Gomes.
Fifa has taken over the implementation of VAR from the IFAB and Pierluigi Collina has warned officials they must not show the “wrong kind of solidarity” with colleagues by failing to correct their mistakes.
Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho has demanded that refs give post-match media interviews to justify their decisions.
Mourinho is fuming that Harry Kane was denied a stonewall penalty by on-field ref Paul Tierney and VAR official Michael Oliver in Thursday’s 0-0 draw at Bournemouth after having a goal controversially disallowed in last week’s defeat at Sheffield United.

4

Harry Kane was denied a penalty despite a clear shove against BournemouthCredit: PA:Press Association

4

Mark Halsey has called on Mike Riley to quit his postCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Asked whether refs should speak after matches, Mourinho insisted: “Yes, it’s very important.
“They are very important in the game. A game is players, managers, referees.
“It would make things much more open, much more clear.
“It would give the referee the opportunity to say ‘Yes, I made a mistake – I feel sorry for that’ or ‘Yes I had incredible performance’ or ‘yes I was perfect’.
“I think they are very important in the game, as important as players.”
Oliver, who was also the VAR official for Tottenham’s controversial defeat at Sheffield United defeat, will take charge of tomorrow’s North London derby against Arsenal.

But Mourinho said: “I cannot speak about it, I don’t like to speak about it.
“I feel free to comment on referees’ performances after the performances but I know I can’t by the legal point of view make any comment before matches.”
And Mourinho revealed that he no longer celebrates goals because of VAR.
He said: “I don’t celebrate goals anymore, because I never know if it is a goal or not a goal.
“Even if I have the feeling it is, but maybe something happened six or seven seconds before that I didn’t realise, and then it is not a goal.”

MARK HALSEY ON REFEREEING DECLINE

OVER the years we have seen a steady decline in the standard of Premier League officiating.
Everyone has a shelf-life and the time has come for Mike Riley to step down.
Mike has been in charge of the officials for over a decade since replacing Keith Hackett in 2009 but things are getting worse.
The implementation of VAR in the Premier League this season has been a disaster and the buck stops with Mike because he is the general manager.
This is not me being bitter and twisted because I am no longer involved as an active official.
I am passionate and care deeply about our officials and believe it would be the same if Mike was in a management job in any other industry.
And in football, it’s no different to when Jose Mourinho or David Moyes have been sacked for poor results.
It should be the same for the staff of the PGMOL for their performance levels.
If I was the Premier League chief executive Richard Masters, I would be deeply concerned.
Everything about the Premier League is brilliant, it’s the most watched league around the world because of the quality and entertainment on the pitch.
The Prem have done a fantastic job to get football back following the pandemic and allowing fans to access the games but the one thing that is letting the league down is the standard of officiating and the current use of VAR.
We are seeing basic errors on a daily basis from our so-called elite referees.
Clubs, managers, players and fans are all extremely unhappy with what is going on. I don’t blame the match officials solely.
We have some excellent referees so you have to look at the leadership, direction and management of our top officials – and that’s down to Mike.
Good coaches turn average players into good ones and decent players into world class ones.
That is no different for referees. From what I am hearing within the refereeing world, we have a severe lack of quality coaching of our Select Group One officials.
Don’t be fooled, I have been told by active officials that they aren’t happy with the current situation.You can see the refs aren’t enjoying what they are doing.
There are no smiles on faces. Some officials have concerns but do not want to be seen to be stepping out of line with the management amid fears of the consequences.
We need a complete rethink, particularly on how we use VAR.
It has to change to regain the credibility of the Premier League. We don’t want to be continually talking about the referees and the technology.
We don’t hear from the management and there does not seem to be any accountability.
We want openness and transparency. We also need clear direction because we are seeing far too many inconsistencies with refereeing decision-making, whether that is on the field or the VAR.
I said at the start of the season we needed to follow the IFAB protocol, which is used properly in the Champions League, and that meant the on-field referee must view the monitor on all subjective decisions.
I could foresee the problems that would arise and by not doing so it has been a major mistake by the PGMOL.
No wonder then that Fifa want to take control of the VAR process.
Another major problem is the workload of officials and the suitability of active refs doubling up to be VAR officials.
I’m not questioning the integrity of referees but I don’t see how you can be an active ref as well as a VAR official.
It is two different skill sets. It’s not just about knowing the laws of the game, you have to have an understanding of football.
VAR hasn’t been the only problem. The offside and handball laws have also been a mess.
We need an overhaul and the time is now for change.

Jason Cundy is furious with VAR about Man Utd penalty given to Bruno Fernandes against Aston Villa More