In order to rule out offside on Brentford’s equalizer against Arsenal on Saturday, video assistant referee operator Lee Mason did not draw the VAR reference lines.
Mason performed a VAR review of Ivan Toney’s goal after Ethan Pinnock’s challenge on Gabriel.
Although that incident was exonerated, there was a contention that Christian Norgaard was offside during the goal’s preparation.
Mason chose not to make use of the system’s lines, which would have indicated whether the Brentford player was on or offside.
The incident was attributed to “human error” by the authority that regulates referees, PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited).
Incorrect goal ruling for Brighton during Saturday’s draw against Crystal Palace was also attributed to human error.
A VAR review determined that Pervis Estupinan was offside, which resulted in the Ecuadorian’s goal being disallowed after 32 minutes.
However, Marc Guehi, a fellow Palace defender who was standing directly behind him and would have played Estupinan onside, was mistakenly chosen as the offside line instead of James Tomkins.
PGMOL reported that chief executive Howard Webb had spoken with Brighton and Arsenal to recognize the “serious faults.”
In a statement, the body stated that “both incidences, which were the result of human error and related to the interpretation of offside situations, are being thoroughly evaluated by PGMOL.”
A representative for Brighton stated that the team “has accepted PGMOL’s apology” despite being “hugely saddened by the error.”
Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, claimed that authorities had “changed the rules,” while Danny Murphy, a former midfielder for Liverpool, described it as a “horrendous decision.”
After the game, Arteta remarked, “I just watched back and it is offside, yes.
“When defending, you must adhere to specific principles, which you do by following the law. The regulations suddenly alter, forcing you to modify your ideals.
On a “terrible” day for VAR, Arteta accuses officials of “bending the rules.”
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The choices made Webb, who has vowed to raise standards in the top division, have a difficult day.
The first few weeks of Webb’s employment have been viewed favorably. Mason is a dedicated VAR official, therefore it presents a challenge for Webb to handle one of two significant errors on one day.