Officiating changes afoot as VAR cock-up at Liverpool’s expense inspires Howard Webb change
Liverpool may not be getting a goal tacked back on to their total this season, nor any of the points lost from a contentious 2-1 defeat to Tottenham but it seems some good may come of it.
Football fans, it seems, are now set to become increasingly privy to the discussions between match officials and the VAR team at Stockley Park, not to mention delved into more frequently on Howard Webb’s show, Henry Winter tweeted on Friday afternoon.
Audio of on-field officials and VAR teams to be released more regularly. Howard Webb and Michael Owen‘s “Match Officials: Mic’d Up’ show explaining decisions from @premierleague games to be screened more frequently.
— Henry Winter (@henrywinter) October 6, 2023
It’s a change that no doubt comes in direct response to accusations over a near-total lack of transparency on the PGMOL’s part.
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It’s a change we’d welcome here at Empire of the Kop, though we’d caution that it doesn’t go nearly far enough in addressing the systemic issues inspiring such errors in the first place, nor promises significant long-term improvements in the standard of officiating.
That’s not to suggest keeping fans in the loop about why certain decisions have been made won’t improve the sport as a whole, of course.
However, we do have to still question how things have been made easier for officials amid calls for greater flexibility to mitigate against grave mistakes.
In a world where Liverpool can lose a title by a point or millimetres, being able to relive an official’s cock-up week after week with the aid of previously unheard audio tapes will only add to the frustration felt by Premier League fans.
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