VAR, PGMOL, and the Cost of Incompetence: Why Arsenal — and the Premier League — Deserve Better
It happened again. Another crucial Premier League game, another inexplicable refereeing decision, and another set of points dropped. This time, it was at Goodison Park, where Arsenal’s Premier League title hopes took another hit — not just because of a lapse in concentration, but due to yet another questionable penalty call that simply doesn’t hold up under scrutiny.
The moment came just minutes into the second half. Arsenal, having taken the lead through Leandro Trossard, looked to consolidate against a physical but limited Everton side. Then came the long diagonal ball. Jack Harrison went down under pressure from Myles Lewis-Skelly near the edge of the box. Contact? Yes. Enough for a penalty? Not even close.
And yet, referee John Brooks pointed to the spot. VAR? Silent. Again.
Everton converted the penalty. Arsenal dropped two more points. And the frustration — familiar and deeply rooted — boiled over once more.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said post-match,
“For me, it is never a penalty.”
He didn’t need to elaborate. Anyone watching could see that the contact was minimal, Harrison initiated most of it, and precedent offered little support for the call. Earlier this season, Everton themselves saw a similar penalty overturned at Goodison after Ashley Young was deemed to have gone to ground too easily. That decision, led by VAR Matt Donohue, was celebrated as a rare win for common sense. So why wasn’t this?
That question — why wasn’t this? — has become the defining mantra of Arsenal’s 2024/25 season.
A Season Full of “Why Wasn’t This?” Moments
Saturday’s penalty wasn’t an isolated moment. It was just the latest in a season filled with inconsistency, confusion, and outright errors from referees and VAR officials alike — most of which have directly impacted Arsenal’s results.
Let’s run through just a few:
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Declan Rice sent off for kicking the ball away vs Wolves – the only red card of its kind this season.
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Leandro Trossard punished the same way vs Man City – despite kicking the ball away as the whistle blew.
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Saliba penalized for a head collision vs Brighton – a non-foul anywhere else on the pitch.
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Saliba sent off vs Bournemouth – a DOGSO red, despite being 45 yards from goal with Ben White nearby.
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Havertz denied a winner vs Liverpool – referee blew before the ball hit the net, removing any chance for VAR review.
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Van Dijk’s unpunished kicks on Havertz – no review, no card, not even a discussion.
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This weekend’s penalty vs Everton – soft, subjective, and inconsistent with similar incidents across the season.
Altogether, it’s not hard to argue that Arsenal have potentially lost 11 points this season due to officiating decisions that range from inconsistent to outright indefensible.
These aren’t fringe incidents. They’re pivotal moments in high-stakes matches. In a title race as tight as this one, those points matter.
Not Just Arsenal: A League-Wide Issue
Let’s be clear — Arsenal fans are rightfully furious. But this isn’t just about one club. The truth is, every fanbase in the Premier League has felt this at some point.
Liverpool were denied a clear red card against James Tarkowski earlier this season after his studs crashed into Alexis Mac Allister’s shin. Spurs have their own VAR horror stories. Wolves fans will still tell you about the João Gomes incident from August. Brighton, Nottingham Forest, and Aston Villa have all filed formal complaints this season — some more than once.
So no, it’s not a conspiracy. But it is a crisis. One that PGMOL and the Premier League have yet to properly acknowledge, let alone fix.
The Illusion of VAR and the Myth of Consistency
When VAR was introduced, it was marketed as a tool for clarity — a safety net for “clear and obvious” errors. What fans got instead is a murky, inconsistent, overly-protective system that often seems designed to protect referees more than get the decisions right.
The Premier League claimed a 96.4% Key Match Incident accuracy rate earlier this season. But that number is misleading. When VAR chooses not to intervene, even in clear-cut situations like Lewis-Skelly vs Harrison, those errors are often not counted. They’re deemed subjective. Interpretable. Untouchable.
And that’s the problem.
Because in the court of public opinion, in the minds of players and managers, and most importantly on the league table — those missed interventions are everything.
The current VAR structure also suffers from a deeper flaw: it’s staffed and overseen by the same people it’s meant to check. Referees protect referees. Familiarity breeds complacency. Bad performances are followed by quiet weekends in the Championship, only for the same names to return a week later — often without any public explanation.
PGMOL: Unfit for Purpose
At the heart of this crisis is PGMOL, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited — the body responsible for overseeing referees in England. And they are, quite simply, not up to the task.
This is an organization that:
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Offers little to no public transparency on referee appointments, demotions, or decisions.
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Allows VAR officials to avoid accountability for glaring errors.
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Has overseen multiple high-profile apologies this season, with no visible change in process.
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Continues to promote a boys’ club culture where referees are seemingly immune from real consequences.
And despite being funded in part by the Premier League, PGMOL seems entirely disconnected from its most basic mandate: ensuring officiating standards that protect the integrity of the game.
So What Needs to Happen?
If the Premier League truly wants to be the world’s best football league — and not just the most expensive — then it’s time to demand better. Not just from players and coaches, but from the people who make the most crucial calls.
Here’s a roadmap:
1. Establish Independent VAR Operations
VAR needs to be separated from PGMOL and run by a new, specialized team of analysts — not referees protecting their friends.
2. Mandate Full Transparency
Publish audio and reasoning behind key VAR decisions within 24 hours. Fans deserve to know what was said and why.
3. Introduce a Referee Performance Index
Publicly track and publish data on referee performance. Which officials consistently get decisions wrong? Which show bias across clubs?
4. Bring in Independent Oversight
Create an external committee with no ties to PGMOL to oversee major appointments, investigate errors, and recommend suspensions.
5. Diversify and Professionalize the Ref Corps
More full-time referees. More regional diversity. More inclusion. Better pay, better training, and fewer repeated mistakes.
Conclusion: This Can’t Be the Norm
Arsenal’s draw at Everton might go down as another missed opportunity in a season full of “what-ifs.” But more than that, it should serve as a wake-up call.
Fans are tired. Players are demoralized. Managers are losing faith. When the focus after every match is on the officials, not the football, you have a product problem. And that’s what the Premier League is facing now — a credibility crisis fueled by a refereeing body that has long since lost the trust of its audience.
It’s not just about one penalty. Or one red card. Or one club.
It’s about a league that claims to be the best — while settling for the worst when it comes to officiating.
It’s time to change that. Not with more apologies. Not with vague promises. But with real reform.
The game deserves it. The players deserve it. The fans — we — deserve it.
