Lee Mason: Video Assistant Referee leaves PGMOL and can now not work on Premier League video games after error price Arsenal vs Brentford | Soccer Information

Video Assistant Referee Lee Mason has left the officers’ physique PGMOL and can now not work on Premier League video games, following his high-profile error in Arsenal’s draw with Brentford.

Mason had labored as a Premier League referee for 15 years and oversaw 287 top-flight matches throughout that point, along with his final coming throughout the closing levels of the 2021/22 season. Nonetheless, the 51-year-old, whereas working solely as a VAR this season, has twice been dropped from engaged on a spherical of Premier League fixtures after high-profile errors.

The primary got here in September, when he disallowed a Newcastle purpose towards Crystal Palace.

He was then handed an identical punishment after failing to attract the traces and see the offside place of Christian Norgaard because the Brentford participant made the help for Ivan Toney’s late equaliser on the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

PGMOL later apologised for the error, which was described as “not acceptable” by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta. He stated the error had price Arsenal two factors.

The draw with Brentford allowed Manchester Metropolis to shut to inside three factors of Arsenal on the high of the Premier League and Pep Guardiola’s facet then went above the Gunners with victory of their fixture on Wednesday evening.

“We ended the [Brentford] recreation, after analysing it with the proof and pictures, with an enormous anger and disappointment,” stated Arteta in his pre-match press convention for the Metropolis recreation.

“As a result of that wasn’t a human error. That was an enormous, massive, massive not conceiving and understanding your job. That is not acceptable, I am sorry. And that price Arsenal two factors and that is not going to be restored.”

PGMOL confirmed on Friday night that Mason had left the organisation by mutual consent. His full profession within the skilled recreation noticed the 51-year-old officiate in over 500 fixtures after he progressed to the Soccer League in 1998.

A PGMOL assertion stated: “We want to thank Lee for his devoted service to the skilled recreation and need him all the very best for the long run.”

Cassidy requires transparency

Chief Govt Officer of Ref Help UK Martin Cassidy stated:

“The soccer household has welcomed Howard Webb, it is good to see the communication with golf equipment. Everybody needs referees to be accountable, however the timing is a bit unlucky due to the physique cam trial. On the identical weekend of this nice information, by way of safety for match officers, this [VAR controversy] comes alongside. Officers now have this sword of Damocles hanging over them, considering ‘am I going to be subsequent?’

“The message is not clear right here. Does one mistake imply you are going to lose your profession? That does not occur to gamers in the event that they make foolish errors. The message is a bit ambiguous actually and I feel it will be good to have a bit extra readability within the image. Nobody needs to lose their profession over one mistake.

“Soccer needs to be accountable, all of us ought to, completely. However the WhatsApp teams I am concerned in have been going loopy final evening [over the news that Lee Mason has left the PGMOL]. Let’s please be a bit extra open and clear concerning the message right here. One mistake has ended the 15-year profession of a top-level match official.

“It proves how exhausting it’s to be a match official at this stage – assistant referees have been doing this with out VAR for many years. This is not simply a pc that decides, there’s a human being firstly and finish of this course of. The sport will enhance from it and the connection between referees, golf equipment and gamers will probably be rather a lot higher for it. Having transparency and accountability is an effective factor, however the best way it has been accomplished may have been higher.”

Ref Watch: ‘Lee Mason forgot to finish examine’

INCIDENT: The Skilled Sport Match Officers Restricted (PGMOL) has acknowledged a ‘important error within the VAR course of’ was liable for Brentford’s offside purpose being awarded of their 1-1 draw at Arsenal. This was not totally investigated by VAR. They checked for a block – however not the offside on Christian Norgaard. How can this occur?

FORMER PREMIER LEAGUE REF DERMOT GALLAGHER SAYS: “If the referee thinks he is had a materialistic impression on the participant, sure [they can be offside].

“When the free kick comes over, Ethan Pinnock – who begins in an offside place – that is all he’s. He cannot be given as offside at that time as a result of he hasn’t impacted on the end result of that ball.

“Pinnock will get again into an onside place and the subsequent drawback comes when Pinnock has come from an offside place, however when the ball is performed whereas he is onside, as soon as he heads it, it is Norgaard – he is the participant who’s within the offside place.

“Norgaard then crosses and Ivan Toney scores.

“The VAR Lee Mason made two checks and so they have been very complete – it took three minutes.

“He has deemed Pinnock is in an offside place – there is not any doubt about that. He is determined as a result of the ball is so excessive, he can not head the ball so he isn’t interfering with play as a result of he isn’t touched it.

“Does he impression on a defender? I feel the VAR appears at it and he is behind it, so it is troublesome. He judges it as not a foul, which is a subjective ingredient.

“He is targeting that a lot that I feel he switches off then. He is forgotten to finish it by.

“It isn’t panic, nevertheless it’s ‘I’ve taken three minutes and have not discovered an offence, individuals are going to marvel why I’ve checked it so usually’.

“He then would not examine the Norgaard offside, and that is the place the issue occurred.

“It is a human error purchased on by the truth that time is consuming away and three minutes are an eternity to a spectator. You’ll be able to hear them, and that is acquired to play on his thoughts.

“He is simply closed it off a bit too early.”

Why did not the VAR assistant level out the error?

DERMOT SAYS: “I do not know to be sincere. Once more, I ponder if he is been sucked into the identical vacuum by way of the time.

“If they’d pushed on that little bit additional, they’d have gotten the suitable reply.

“In my thoughts, it was straightforward to go ‘Ivan Toney scored, was he offside? No. Default to Norgaard crossing the ball. Was he offside? Sure. Finish of story.’

“That is the straightforward bit. However of their course of, they take it from the free-kick and that is how they do it.”

FORMER ARSENAL STRIKER KEVIN CAMPBELL: “It is nice to know there’s an apology, however what does it truly do? As a result of all of the eyeballs which can be on [the game] – the VAR official has an assistant, however what do they see?

“If all people else may see it, they need to be capable of see it.

“Extra coaching? Come on, that is loopy stuff, so far as I am involved. It is simply folks not doing their job correctly – it is so simple as that.”

How lengthy did the VAR examine take?

The examine took two minutes 26 seconds. That compares to two minutes one second for the VAR examine at West Ham for Tomas Soucek’s disallowed purpose for a Declan Rice offside, that means the Brentford examine was not particularly lengthy, amid options the VAR was rushed into overlooking the Norgaard offside incident by spending too lengthy specializing in the sooner Pinnock incident.