Richard Keys welcomes Howard Webb as West Ham VAR controversy highlighted by independent panel
West Ham were involved in one of six major VAR errors in the Premier League this season, according to ESPN sources.
The Hammers should have taken a point from their clash with Chelsea earlier this season, with Maxwel Cornet’s late equaliser wrongly disallowed by VAR. The ESPN finding also found that two of West Ham’s goals in the 3-1 win over Fulham should have been disallowed.
It was one of six major VAR errors in the Premier League, and Richard Keys took to Twitter to vent his frustration at the current state of officiating, while simultaneously hoping that the appointment of Howard Webb as PGMOL chief [The Guardian] will help improve standards.
“We know. We all knew at the time. It’s all change now under Howard Webb. Refs will be encouraged to stay with their first call & VAR will be less busy,” read Keys’ post.
“This will lead to more decision making on the field. Welcome back Howard.”
A welcome introduction
Refereeing in the Premier League has been subpar since the introduction of VAR. The technology was brought in with the promise of correcting ‘clear and obvious’ errors in the sport, but all it has done is add more controversy and opinion.
West Ham have been on both sides of the coin this season, with Cornet’s wrongfully disallowed goal balanced out by the two goals against Fulham that shouldn’t have stood.
Webb is an old-school official and boasts plenty of experience in his sphere of work. As mentioned by Keys, hopefully his introduction as PGMOL chief sees steps forward taken in improving the standards of officiating.
VAR doesn’t need scrapping completely, but its usage needs reworking to help the flow of the game.
West Ham have endured a frustrating start to the Premier League as is – stress from poor refereeing and incorrect calls is definitely not needed in the second half of the season.