Referee Controversies Mount in Premier League

The 2024-25 season hasn’t been a good one for the referees. They have been the center of attention for all the wrong reasons, showing the flaws of human decision-making despite the introduction of new technology such as Video Assistant Referee (VAR).

The latest incident occurred during Everton’s match against Liverpool this week, when James Tarkowski’s studs-up horror tackle on Alexis Mac Allister in the 11th minute was only deemed a yellow card offense by referee Sam Barrott.

Paul Tierney, who was on VAR duty, upheld the call and deemed it not a “clear and obvious error.” Yet, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) later admitted the tackle met the threshold for serious foul play, acknowledging that Tarkowski should have seen red. It is the second apology Liverpool received this season alone for an incorrect call made during their matches.

Liverpool is far from the only team suffering from such decisions. Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly saw a red card against Wolverhampton, a decision so contentious that Arsenal successfully appealed the decision, and the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) chief Howard Webb admitted it was an incorrect call. Webb noted the challenge only warranted a yellow card, but defended referee Michael Oliver, arguing it wasn’t a “horrendous” decision.

Then there’s Declan Rice’s bizarre red card earlier in the season, where he softly kicked the ball away after a foul against Brighton. He received a second yellow card, and it baffled viewers and cost Arsenal points.

In November 2024, referee David Coote was sidelined by the PGMOL after a video emerged of him making derogatory remarks about Liverpool and their then-coach Jurgen Klopp in a conversation with a colleague. Webb acted swiftly by suspending Coote, but the damage had been done — fans quickly questioned the impartiality of the officials.

It seems like this season has been a low point for officiating in the league. Webb, as head of the PGMOL, is seeing increasing pressure to make changes. The introduction of semi-automated offside decisions, which is set to be introduced soon, is one step. But it’s irrelevant for decisions like Tarkowski, Myles-Skelly, and Rice, where human intervention was necessary and failed in all three cases.