- The PGMOL has come under heavy scrutiny after several referee errors
- They will now regularly release clips of in-game audio from officials and VAR teams
- Listen to the latest episode of the Mail Sport podcast ‘It all begins’
In-game audio from on-field officials and VAR teams will be released regularly for the rest of the season after PGMOL and the Premier League committed to the move in a bid to provide greater transparency into refereeing decisions.
It has been a week of intense criticism for referees and PGMOL chief referee Howard Webb following Tottenham’s controversial 2-1 win over Liverpool last Saturday.
This included what PGMOL described as a ‘significant human error’ when VAR wrongly disallowed Luis Diaz’s goal, with the subsequent release of the VAR audio of the incident it only highlighted how disastrous the mistake was.
And now, in-game audio will be broadcast regularly throughout the remainder of the campaign, with the aim of remaining ‘open and transparent’ about how those in charge make decisions.
It also gives supporters insight into how the decision-making process works.
PGMOL and the Premier League have committed to a regular release of in-game audio from pitch officials and VAR teams for the remainder of 2023-2024 following the Luis Diaz goal disallowance error
Diaz’s goal was wrongly disallowed before the VAR audio of the incident was subsequently released
Although the referees’ comments will not be immediately available during or after the matches, the audio will be featured on a regular TV programme.
It will be called ‘Match Officials: Mic’d Up’ and will air in the UK and around the world, with one episode already airing last month.
PGMOL chief Webb will be joined by Michael Owen to analyze and explain several key refereeing decisions from recent rounds of play.
The audio is broadcast on a regular TV program called ‘Match Officials Mic’d Up’, where PGMOL chief Howard Webb is joined by Michael Owen. The first episode aired last month.
Darren England – who was called into VAR for Diaz’s mistake – is out this weekend
The next episode of the show is on Tuesday, October 10 and comes as part of Webb’s push for greater transparency and an improvement in attitudes towards VAR.
Along with the first episode of the show, he also appeared on Monday Night Football at the end of last season, where he gave a rare look at how VAR works from the official’s point of view.
Meanwhile, both Darren England, who was on VAR duty for Tottenham’s match with Liverpool, and his assistant Dan Cook, have been sacked for this weekend’s fixture.
Their mistake in Diaz’s goal has been the talk of the football world since Saturday, with Reds boss Jurgen Klopp even calling for a replay of the match.
