Q&A: A look at the key questions surrounding video assistant referees

The impact of VAR on Premier League games was heavily criticised over the weekend after a number of high-profile controversial decisions.

The Premier League is understood to have asked the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) group responsible for referees for further information on a number of incidents, with Lee Mason not selected as a VAR for any games this weekend.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the key questions that linger over VAR.

Which incidents are in the spotlight?

While the use of VAR has split football fans since it was introduced, it has arguably never drawn such widespread negativity as this past weekend.

Mason, who became a dedicated VAR at the start of last season after retiring as a referee, was in the booth for the Newcastle v Crystal Palace match on Saturday where the home side had a goal ruled out.

On-field referee Michael Salisbury initially awarded an own goal by Tyrick Mitchell to Newcastle but, after a review was recommended by Mason, he gave a foul against Joe Willock who had collided with Palace goalkeeper Vicente Guaita – although replays suggested the collision had been caused by Mitchell shoving Willock in the back and that the goal should have stood.

Maxwel Cornet also saw a late goal ruled out as West Ham lost at Chelsea, with referee Andrew Madley disallowing the effort at Stamford Bridge as Jarred Gillett – as VAR – had advised Madley to look again at the goal, after spotting a possible foul by West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen on Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy in the build-up.

There were further controversial calls which saw Brentford awarded a penalty against Leeds – with Whites boss Jesse Marsch sent off for his reaction to the change in decision – and at Old Trafford where Gabriel Martinelli thought he had opened the scoring for Arsenal only for the effort to be ruled out for a foul on Christian Eriksen in the build-up.

What have people been saying?

The Premier League’s all-time record goalscorer weighed into the debate as Alan Shearer slammed the current state of VAR.

“It’s a beyond terrible, disgraceful decision,” he said on Match of the Day while analysing the Chelsea game. “They should be told to stay out of it the VAR officials, this was never ever, ever a foul. And I don’t think anyone who has played the game will agree with the VAR Jared Gillett and the referee Andy Madley.”

West Ham boss David Moyes labelled the disallowed Cornet goal as “beyond terrible” and a “disgraceful decision.” Hammers captain Declan Rice later called it “one of the worst VAR decisions since it came into the game”.

Former referees also got involved, with Keith Hackett telling PA: “We’re in our fourth season of VAR and we’re not operating it well. These officials don’t get to the Premier League without being good referees. In some ways they have been made to look foolish this weekend by what has happened. They must feel that they’ve been let down.”

What next for the officials involved?

While Mason has seemingly paid the price for his part in the decision-making at Newcastle, other referees who were involved in the aforementioned controversial calls will still be at games this coming weekend.

Madley has been selected to referee the Liverpool v Wolves match on Saturday, while Gillett will take charge at the Leicester v Aston Villa clash the same day and Salisbury will be the VAR as Southampton host Brentford.

David Coote, who was the VAR at the Brentford Leeds match, will be the referee of the Fulham v Chelsea game with Paul Tierney, who disallowed a goal for Arsenal against Manchester United on Sunday after VAR Mason intervened, has three appointments at the weekend.

He will be VAR at Manchester City v Tottenham on Saturday, fulfil the same role at West Ham v Newcastle on Sunday and is due to be fourth official at the Leeds v Nottingham Forest match on Monday.

So could VAR be scrapped?

It would be highly unlikely for the Premier League to suddenly move to no longer use the VAR system.

However, the PGMOL has acknowledged errors were made in those matches and is understood to be co-operating with the Premier League after it called for the incidents to be reviewed.

That could lead into a wide-ranging investigation into how best to utilise the technology, which has also seen issues with tight offside calls ever since its inception.

A high bar for intervention was initially set with only “clear and obvious” errors aimed to be overturned by using VAR.

That has now been called into question and the spotlight will fall on any calls made using the video assistant referees in the coming weeks.