A number of refereeing decisions have been the subject of debate since the most recent round of Premier League fixtures, and fans are getting the chance to hear the logic behind the calls
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Jurgen Klopp calls for Spurs match to be replayed after VAR mistake
Premier League Productions’ ‘Match Officials: Mic’d Up’ show returns to our screens tonight, giving fans a chance to hear more about some big decisions in English football’s top tier.
It is the second episode of the show, and the first since the controversy around Liverpool’s wrongly disallowed goal in their defeat at Tottenham at the start of October. Airing on Sky Sports and TNT Sports, it will see refereeing chief Howard Webb joined by former England striker Michael Owen to discuss refereeing decisions from recent games in the competition.
“We made a commitment to be more transparent,” Webb told Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football earlier in the season. “We know and recognise that people want more information about refereeing processes, particularly with the advent of VAR.
“We want to show spectators what goes into making the decisions on the field and then how the VAR works as well. We’ve got a professional group of officials working hard to have a positive impact on the game.”
While plenty of fans will be waiting to see what is said about the Diaz incident when a “significant human error” cost Liverpool, plenty of other decisions will be discussed. Mirror Football will be bringing you all the latest as it happens.
19:10KEY EVENT
Why the ref couldn’t go back
The ball went out of play a few seconds later, and Webb says the officials recognised going back to revisit the previous decision wasn’t possible based on the rules in place.
“I understand why this question was asked,” Webb says, and suggests IFAB have looked at revisiting rules in the context of VAR - stresses these conversations pre-date the incident at Tottenham.
Says it’s better referee Simon Hooper didn’t know about the error.
19:08Tom Victor
“Check complete” sufficient language?
Michael Owen asks Webb if the phrase “check complete” can be too vague
There’s a “Need to reiterate some of these communication protocols,” Webb says.
“Not just saying ‘check complete’ but saying ‘check complete goal confirmed’ or in this case ‘check complete offside confirmed’”.
Says there are efforts to avoid another repeat.
19:06Tom Victor
More from Webb
“People want us to be as quick as we can be and we focus on efficiency but never at the expense of accuracy.”
19:05KEY EVENT
Webb on Diaz
“We’re all disappointed the VAR system didn’t step in to rectify a clear error,” Webb says, but he emphasises without VAR it would still have been given as offside.
19:03Tom Victor
Diaz’s goal
No surprises on where we’re starting the show.
That’s right, it’s the Diaz decision accompanied by the VAR conversations.
As we know now, the goal shouldn’t have been ruled offside. Now we’ll hear a bid more about the process.
19:02Tom Victor
What to expect
This show is part of PGMOL’s efforts to be “open and transparent”, and he is providing a run-down of the officials who take part in decisions.
19:01Tom Victor
We’re up and running
All eyes on Howard Webb and Michael Owen. Here we go….
18:58Tom Victor
Moyes’ verdict on Bruno decision
West Ham boss David Moyes felt Bruno Guimaraes should have been sent off for two yellow cards on Sunday.
Newcastle midfielder Bruno was already on a booking when he brought down James Ward-Prowse as the Hammer midfielder looked to break, but referee Peter Bankes kept his cards in his pocket.
“I thought that was pretty harsh on us, as was the decision early on which could have been a second yellow card,” Moyes said.
“I’m not going to say something to get me into trouble. I just think it was a really close call.”
Bruno Guimaraes escaped a second booking against West Ham (
Image:
Shaun Brooks/Action Plus/REX/Shutterstock)
18:53Matthew Cooper
Former ref says Kovacic should have been sent off
Former Premier League referee Mark Halsey has claimed Manchester City midfielder Mateo Kovacic could have been sent off twice against Arsenal for challenges on Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice.
Kovacic was shown a yellow card for a poor first half challenge on Odegaard, which Halsey believes he was “fortunate” not to have been shown a straight red for.
The 62-year-old, who refereed in the Premier League for 14 years before retiring in 2013, questioned why VAR John Brooks did not send Michael Oliver to take a second look at the incident.
Read the full story here
18:50Tom Victor
The state of play in the Premier League
With all the discussion of refereeing calls, it can be easy to forget a very spicy title race is beginning to take shape.
Just four points separate the top six, while Spurs in first and Liverpool in fourth are just three points apart.
At the other end of the table, three points separate the bottom four with Sheffield United hoping to pull themselves out of the mire when they take on Manchester United next time out.
18:45KEY EVENT
What Diaz has said about his disallowed goal
Luis Diaz has opened up for the first time over the significant VAR blunder that saw his goal against Tottenham wrongly disallowed and how it has affected him.
Diaz, 26, was on target for Liverpool last month but was flagged for offside. The decision was checked by VAR, however, Darren England and Dan Cook failed to realise that the goal had been ruled out, so they did not overturn the on-field decision - even though they had clearly established that Diaz was onside.
“At the time it hit me very hard, but not only to me, but to all my teammates,” Diaz told Colombian outlet El Heraldo.
“In the middle of the game we talked about it a lot, it was a positive result that was going to help us. These are things that happen, the referees are human. You have to take it easy and for the next one it will be.”
Read more here
18:41Jacob Leeks
Webb urged to institute referee ban
PGMOL chief Howard Webb has been told he must urgently stop the practice of referees officiating games in the UAE or Saudi Arabia.
Webb has been forced to deal with a number of blunders from his match officials in recent weeks. The biggest came during Liverpool’s defeat to Tottenham, when Luis Diaz’s goal was wrongly disallowed for offside, despite VAR Darren England checking the incident.
Read the full story here
18:33Tom Victor
Which decisions matter most to you?
What are you looking forward to hearing more about tonight?
Is the VAR issue at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium the big one for you?
Maybe it’s a red card that either was or wasn’t given.
Let us know in the comments section
18:22Tom Victor
This weekend’s action
The last round of fixtures included some drama of its own, and Liverpool were at the centre of some of it.
Brighton’s Pascal Gross conceded a penalty against the Reds but wasn’t doubly punished with a red card.
Elsewhere, opposition managers felt Manchester City’s Mateo Kovacic and Newcastle’s Bruno Guimaraes were fortunate to escape second bookings in their respective games.
18:22Tom Victor
Spurs v Liverpool in focus?
While it isn’t the only match set to be discussed, the action-packed Tottenham v Liverpool game will get plenty of fans - even neutrals - tuning in.
Audio from the incident has already been shared around Luis Diaz’s disallowed goal, but many will be keen to hear about other decisions from that game
Liverpool’s two red cards in the same game have also been matters of debate, with Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota dismissed.
18:22KEY EVENT
Good evening!
Welcome along to Mirror Football ‘s live coverage of ‘Match Officials: Mic’d Up’.
If you’re unable to watch the live broadcasts on TV, we’ll provide you with all the pertinent updates as Howard Webb and Michael Owen get their teeth stuck into some of the biggest refereeing decisions in recent Premier League matches.
