It was another weekend to forget for PGMOL’s finest.
The supposed best referees in the business had a nightmare in a number of games across the Premier League weekend.
Whether they’ve taken their eye off of the ball, figuratively speaking, because of the comfort blanket of VAR is a moot point.
There’s a cogent argument that VAR isn’t providing the type of back-up that the men in the middle need, however.
The criteria has always been crystal clear, and that is that VAR should not be invoked unless there has been a clear and obvious error by the man (or woman) refereeing the game.
Only then, and not before, should we see or hear from Stockley Park.
Far too often it appears that VAR is looking to ‘re-referee’ the game and that isn’t what the technology was brought in for.
One can only deduce, therefore, that the training which Mike Riley is giving to his charges isn’t fit for purpose.
Very simply, the standards of refereeing are getting worse, not better and that’s something that has to be addressed sooner rather than later.
For the supposed best league in the world, VAR is making them a laughing stock.
Stan Collymore, talking to Empire of the Kop, has come up with a novel suggestion but certainly one with merit.
Those players that aren’t quite good enough to make it at the top level, but have all of the in-game knowledge, could and probably should be re-trained to become referees themselves if football could open up a pathway for them.
??”They’re fit, they understand the game, they’ve played lots of new football, they’ve played lots of U23s football.”@StanCollymore suggests ex-pros could be handed a pathway into officiating to improve the standard ???? #LFC pic.twitter.com/xrab31UYu4
— Empire of the Kop (@empireofthekop) December 19, 2021