VAR: Is it time for retrospective result review?
By Hughie Southon
That David Moyes is not to be punished for his comments after referee Andy Madley made the worst decision since technology was introduced in football is absolutely spot on.
It has now been fully accepted that the decision was wrong wrong wrong and one wonders whether we may be coming to a point where retrospective action should be introduced or the game be replayed or even reverse the result. VAR was introduced to right these wrongs and is now causing some.
Even the Professional Game Match Officials’ Board took the rare step of “acknowledging” the specific controversies in a statement on Sunday, and accepted the Premier League’s request for an additional investigation.
It is significant that PGMOL has taken the extra step after Saturday’s action, with West Ham denied a late equaliser against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
PGMOL said in a statement: “PGMOL acknowledge the incidents to disallow the goals in the Chelsea v West Ham and Newcastle v Crystal Palace fixtures.
“We will fully co-operate and collaborate with the Premier League and their request to review these two particular incidents, using the outcome as part of the ongoing assessment of weekly performances and the development of our match officials going forward.”
With every point eventually possibly costing fortunes at both ends of the table there’s a case to be made surely.
In the meantime it has been revealed that Moyes will face no reaction or punishment for his entirely acceptable response following the ruling out of Maxwel Cornet’s goal.
He had said: “It’s a scandalous decision, absolutely rotten decision from one of your supposedly elite referees. It doesn’t say much about whoever sent him over on VAR, as well. But it’s an unbelievable decision that went against us.”
Such remarks don’t, we are told, reach the threshold for action against managers and given the response from across the game any punishment would have caused the authorities acute embarrassment anyway.
However, when a decision is seen as being entirely and utterly wrong the big question is: HOW CAN IT BE ALLOWED TO STAND.” The authorities need to address the situation.