Howard Webb attains agreement on main VAR decision set to impact the three EPL clubs
Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham will all be affected by Mike Dean’s decision to retire from VAR duty after 28 years of service to the sport. Throughout the 2022-23 Premier League season, VAR was justifiably criticized on multiple occasions due to the frequent occurrence of errors.
The PGMOL appointed Howard Webb as its first chief refereeing officer in August 2022 in an effort to enhance the domestic elite level’s current VAR operation.
Despite this, numerous errors were still made, with Ivan Toney’s goal for Brentford against Arsenal, the decision not to award Chelsea a penalty against West Ham for a Tomas Soucek handball, and Brighton’s Pervis Estupinan’s goal being incorrectly disallowed against Crystal Palace among the most scrutinized.
In an effort to provide transparency, PGMOL chief Webb spoke with Sky Sports on Monday Night Football in May, providing audio snippets of conversations between referees and VARs during Premier League games from the previous season.
Now, a significant decision has been made prior to the start of the new season in less than a month, with The Telegraph reporting that Dean has reached an agreement with manager Webb to stand down from his Stockley Park position after a season in which he was deemed unsuitable for VAR duties.
Dean retired as an on-field official during the summer of 2018, which led to him becoming a VAR operator for the 2022/23 season. During his nearly three-decade career, Dean has provided ubiquitous and memorable moments, such as his interaction with Marouane Fellaini and delivery of a yellow card without ceremony.
The announcement of Dean’s retirement comes one month after a significant VAR rule decision was made public. The Times reports that Premier League clubs have voted against the system that employs artificial intelligence to track offside calls. UEFA and FIFA have chosen to test an automated offside system during the Champions League and the World Cup.
Howard Webb attains agreement on main VAR decision set to impact the three EPL clubs