By Tony Attwood
The PGMO, the fanatically secretive organisation that runs refereeing in the Premier League, have decided what they regularly decide – the rest of the world is getting it wrong, and only the PGMO are right.
So while the rest of football uses pitchside monitors to assist with VAR this will only happen very sparingly in PL football. I think the reason that is emerging is that it is because of the unique nature of the Premier League, although I am not sure anyone has said that in public.
The one really good thing that has come out of the PGMO meeting about VAR with the clubs is that we hear it was very fractious. Which means someone somewhere is standing up for those clubs that are being penalised unduly by the way VAR is being operated by PGMO.
Now this is a hard topic for the mainstream media to deal with because of the contracts they have signed with the PGMO which allows them to use the press room facilities at the clubs. Criticising referees or suggesting there is something fundamentally wrong with football, is something they simply cannot do.
What’s more PGMO feel secure enough about this situation to have released the statement that, “The policy of using the Referee Review Area was discussed and it was re-emphasised that it would be reserved for unseen incidents, or when information from the VAR is outside the expectation range of the referee. Ensuring the pace and tempo of Premier League football remains an important focus for clubs.”
However, the statement continued saying that both the Premier League and PGMO, “were committed to improving the consistency of decisions, speeding up processes and increasing communication to fans”. That is worrying for Arsenal for the rulings are at best erratic and at worst consistently negative. And as we know, Arsenal have been suffering unduly for some very poor, eccentric and downright odd VAR decisions this season.
Mind you the fact that Mike Riley is reported to have said that improvement was needed, is something, I suppose. Indeed it is unique – because up to the start of this season the word was that referees were getting 98.5% of all decisions correct – although the supporting evidence for this was never released.
One change we have been told about however is that there will be more information as to what was checked, but this of course by passes what most of us actually want to know which is how exactly decisions to be reviewed by VAR are chosen and what criteria are actually being used.
But in perhaps the most bizarre statement the PL announced that it would be looking on how the “processes could be improved,” – a clear indication that no one is looking at whether the accuracy could be upgraded.
Above all, what we were not told was why the PL and PGMO were continuing to operate VAR in a way that most of the rest of European football was not using, why it was introduced a year late, why some clubs were particularly angry about the use of VAR, and why there has still been no acknowledgement of the Uefa match fixing statement to the effect that match fixing was now so out of control and rising so fast that Uefa could no longer police it, let alone control it.
As a result we are most likely to get more of the same while media criticism of the VAR implementation will be very much restricted, as per the PGMO regulations.
Mike Riley? Everything makes sense.
Football in England is controlled by the FA. If you step out of line they can throw you out of ‘their’ association.
The PGMOL is a Limited company that was set up to provide officials to the FA. This is not a PL organisation nor is it outside the law. It is however, a secretive and corrupt organisation in that it purports to be a non biased sporting organisation. VAR (an off field studio) was introduced to assist the Official refereeing the match. It is basically another official off field with visibllity of the action from multiple cameras. His job is to advise the referee if there is any offence (of the agreed and selected type) that might have been missed by the referee. The referee should then visit the pitch side screen to review the action himself before deciding the next action.
The PGMOL seem to have taken part of the refereeing action into the VAR studio and overruled the on field official. This has in effect created a two tier officiating system that is not covered in any Laws of the Game. The off field official can create imaginary fouls & offences (as is the PGMOL way) giving the match to whoever thay choose.
This is not match fixing. This is fixing beyond anything seen in sport. There is no drug that can compare with how the PGMOL rule football in England. The media are in absolute slumberland.
This article proves beyond any reasonable doubt what many of us has known for a long time. VAR is being used to increase corruption, not reduce it.
PIGMOB cant even say they are implementing the correct version – they are not.
Menaces article highlights how EPL now has off field referees overruling the on field official. The problem is that the off field official comes from a very small selection of officials and some days these same are making decisions in numerous matches.
How long can we carry on like this? I have noticed a lot more people are beginning to question this set up.
How the hell did Kipper Riley get to be in charge of refereeing?
As long as Riley delivers Liverpool the title this year, scrutiny, at least in these Isles, will be limited
@Les Williams – Riley delivered the 50th to Fergie amongst other titles. The reward is chief of operations. The FA may seem outside it all but they are complicit. Every one of the codgers that comprise the governing body.
@Mandy The pool with an undefeated season is so easily done when the match is controlled remotely.
If anyone can find ‘sufficient time to reset after an off side’ in the Laws of the Game, they will be awarded the Riley Cross.
It was used to justify one of the VAR decisions.
Once the ball begins to ping against bodies in the opposition box you just know VAR will find a stamp, trip, hug or butt grab…anything against us should the ball go in.
We should not be waiting to be victimized by the shadows behind VAR.
We should be thinking of mixing up our game sufficiently so we can create/score at least 40-50% VAR proof goals. I have defined VAR proof goals before….. I will mention them again. “Free kicks” “Penalties” “Shots outside the box”.
The main advantage of having an elite strike force is to create an above average number of goal opportunities in and around the box.
Now can we talk about the Odious one?….
Way to go Tottenham you got him. I’m reading some fans are disappointed that Spoch got the rucksack while Demry lives to fight another day…or month as it has been claimed. Perhaps the scriptwriters will leave us alone and create new soap operas..God Knows there are more than enough rivalries to conjure up.
Pep v Klop (getting old…..too much on field action, no off field controversies)
Jose v Klop (Something’s already brewing here)
Jose v Ole (This juat has to happen)
and for the third time! Jose v Josep….bet you didn’t know they had the same name
@ Cheadle
I get what you’re saying but why the hell should we have to do more than other clubs to win games? It’s not up to us to “mix up our game” in order to overcome the way refs work, it’s up to them to apply the rules properly and fairly. besides if we have to wait for “VAR proof” opportunities like penalties, we’re well and truly doomed.