Referee Association Admits, To Investigate 'Human Error' In Arsenal, Brighton Games

The Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) announced on Sunday that the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) decisions that impacted the results of two Premier League matches on Saturday were due to "human error."

Leaders Arsenal and Brighton & Hove Albion were both affected by controversial calls that went against them in their respective fixtures.

The PGMOL's Chief Refereeing Officer, Howard Webb, reached out to the clubs to acknowledge the significant errors and promised a thorough review.

PGMOL can confirm its Chief Refereeing Officer Howard Webb has contacted both Arsenal and Brighton & Hove Albion to acknowledge and explain the significant errors in the VAR process in their respective Premier League fixtures on Saturday. pic.twitter.com/dCDkooxhxf

— PGMOL (@FA_PGMOL) February 12, 2023

Arsenal saw their lead in the title race slip away when Ivan Toney's equalizer for Brentford was allowed to stand, despite replays showing that it should have been ruled out for offside in the build-up. Mikel Arteta accused the officials of "changing the rules" and expressed frustration with the VAR decision.

Brentford aren't going anywhere!

Ivan Toney makes it 1-1 at The Emirates ? pic.twitter.com/7e0JKoTeqM

— SuperSport Football ⚽️ (@SSFootball) February 11, 2023

Brighton & Hove Albion's quest for European football was also impacted by a VAR call during their match against Crystal Palace. An offside decision against Pervis Estupinan was later determined to be incorrect after a review of the replay. The VAR system had drawn the offside line for the wrong player, James Tomkins instead of Marc Guehi.

PGMOL's Howard Webb is a former Premier League referee who became the Chief Refereeing Officer this season. Before joining the PGMOL, he served as the manager of Video Assistant Referee operations for Major League Soccer's Professional Referee Organization (PRO) and later held the position of general manager of PRO.

The PGMOL's announcement of human error as the cause of the VAR controversies has sparked renewed concerns about the system's reliability. However, the organization has promised a thorough review of the incidents and a commitment to improving the accuracy of VAR decisions in future matches.