Premier League referee and VAR mistakes increase to 54 this season
Refereeing and VAR errors have noticeably increased in the Premier League this season, with the Key Match Incidents panel recording 54 mistakes compared to 44 at the same stage last year.
The independent body identified four new official errors in its latest report covering the mid-March fixtures.
Notably, there have already been 18 Video Assistant Referee mistakes, which equals the total figure recorded across the entirety of the previous campaign.
However, the overall trajectory of officiating remains a complex picture with 70 mistakes recorded after 30 games of the 2023-24 season.
Missed penalty calls highlight weekend errors
During the recent round of matches, the panel concluded that three clear spot-kicks should have been awarded across the English top flight.
Arsenal were incorrectly denied a penalty against Everton when Michael Keane fouled Kai Havertz inside the area.
Similarly, Chelsea captain Reece James escaped punishment for pulling back Newcastle United defender Malick Thiaw.
A third penalty was missed for Brentford after Kevin Schade was held by Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Andre.
PGMO points to improved review times
In all three penalty incidents, the panel determined that the on-field decisions were wrong but the video review official was correct not to step in.
Despite the rising error count, Professional Game Match Officials maintains that the broader officiating trend shows signs of improvement.
The refereeing body highlighted that incorrect video reviews have actually fallen slightly from four to three.
Furthermore, the total number of interventions has dropped from 89 to 83, which officials believe indicates better initial decision-making on the pitch.
Second yellow card reviews on the horizon
Match-going fans will also note a 25% improvement in delay times, with the average stoppage falling from 64 seconds to just 48 seconds this year.
While review speeds have improved, incorrect second yellow card decisions have jumped to 11 for the current campaign.
A prime example occurred when Leeds United full-back Gabriel Gudmundsson was wrongfully given a second booking against Crystal Palace.
Such incidents are currently exempt from technological intervention, but referees will be permitted to review second bookable offences starting next season.
