VAR official dropped after PGMOL admit mistake over Fulham goal

Professional Game Match Officials Limited announced that Michael Salisbury’s attendance for Sunday’s Premier League game between Liverpool and Arsenal was inappropriate. The video assistant referee’s decision to deny Fulham’s opening goal at Chelsea on Saturday caused the official to withdraw.

Josh King scored the winning goal 22 minutes into the game before Rodrigo Muniz’ foul on him was flagged off after being called off during a VAR intervention.

Trevoh Chalobah, Chelsea’s centre-back, was alleged to have stepped on Muniz’ foot as he approached the halfway line.

Antonee Robinson, Joachim Andersen, and Ryan Sessegnon, both of Fulham, criticised the way VAR operated in the Premier League in an Instagram post on Sunday.

What’s the point, exactly, if they can check something for five minutes and still get it wrong? Robertson wrote. The Prem’s standard of officiating has been shocking for too long.

The crowd was given the news of the VAR decision on Saturday.

Referee Robert Jones told the Stamford Bridge crowd, “Fulham Number 9 makes a careless challenge and stands on the foot of the Chelsea defender. We disallow the goal and kick off with a Chelsea free kick.”

Chelsea scored their opening goal in 2-0 victory nine minutes into eight-minute stoppage time, which made matters worse for Fulham.

Fulham spoke with referees chief Howard Webb, who declared the decision to be error.

He claimed that the decision to rule out the goal should have been a “referees’ call” instead because it was not a clear and obvious error made by the referee.

Referees’ body PGMOL has replaced Salisbury with John Brooks for the match at Anfield on Sunday.

After the defeat, Fulham manager Marco Silva criticized the officials and called the decision to deny the goal “unbelievable.”

After the game, which ended Fulham without a win in three Premier League games, Silva said, “How you disallow a goal like that is unbelievable.”

We have discussions with the officials and the officials, and we all want to win. The game cannot be re-refereed by VAR.

I would rather not say more because I would be punished. I don’t want to be fined, but I want to be on the touchline the following week to support my team.

“But some decisions have had to be made in order to start the season.”

After Marc Guehi was found to have interfered with the wall, Eberechi Eze’s free-kick in a 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace was disallowed on the opening weekend, making it the second Premier League home game in a row that Chelsea benefitted from a VAR intervention.

After his side lost to Manchester United in a contentious late penalty, Burnley manager Scott Parker claimed the use of VAR was “threatening to turn football into the most sterile game there is.”

When Jaidon Anthony was caught grabbing Amad Diallo’s shirt inside the area, Ruben Amorim’s team were given a penalty well into the closing seconds.

Referee Sam Barrott initially stopped play, but Bruno Fernandes held his nerve to win the game 3-2 with the spot-kick after reviewing the incident on the pitchside monitor.

According to Parker, “it’s the way the game has changed,” Parker said of the BBC Match of the Day. “Quarruple checking everything every minute.