As the best former referee in the Premier League, Mark Clattenburg can speak from a standpoint of authority when it comes to certain decisions.
Universally admired by players and managers alike, the English top-flight has been much the poorer since Clattenburg decided to take his whistle to Saudi Arabia.
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In his column for the Daily Mail, he’s highlighted how the PGMOL, the governing body for match referees at the elite level, have got it wrong once again, and he’s clearly not happy.
Much was made of the decision between VAR and the on-pitch referee, Jon Moss, allowing Man City midfielder, Bernardo Silva’s goal against Aston Villa to stand when team-mate Rodri was coming back from an offside position.
“I said at the time that letting Manchester City’s goal stand was the wrong call. PGMOL tried to justify it by explaining the law and their interpretation of it.,” Clattenburg noted.
“They hid behind the idea that Tyrone Mings ‘deliberately’ played the ball.
“But by now saying this would be offside from now on, they are admitting they were in the wrong. It’s only right that situations such as this would result in an offside.
“That is what everyone associated with football would expect to happen.
“Mings chested the ball but was challenged immediately by Rodri, which prevented him from gaining control of it. He was then robbed of possession and City gained an advantage.
“At least now we know this would be offside in the future.”
If nothing else the rule has been absolutely clarified, although that doesn’t really help Aston Villa who had every right to feel aggrieved at the time.
VAR was supposed to rule out such mistakes but it appears that the technology is only muddying the waters for all sorts of reasons.