PGMOL chief refereeing officer Howard Webb has admitted that disallowing Josh King’s goal for Fulham in their 2-0 defeat to Chelsea last weekend was a mistake.
The 18-year-old forward thought he had put Fulham ahead in the 22nd minute, but the goal was overturned after a lengthy VAR review judged Rodrigo Muniz to have fouled Trevoh Chalobah in the build-up. Muniz was deemed to have stepped on the Chelsea defender’s foot near the halfway line.
Fulham boss Marco Silva branded the decision “unbelievable,” and Webb has now conceded it was an error. Speaking on Match Officials Mic’d Up, a programme analysing VAR calls, Webb said:
“It wasn’t controversial, it was wrong. Officials should only take goals away when the evidence is very clear. In this situation, the guidance wasn’t followed properly. The officials got too focused on the contact without looking at the full context.”
Chelsea went on to secure victory through goals from Joao Pedro and Enzo Fernandez, the latter scoring from the spot after another contentious VAR decision. VAR official Michael Salisbury was later stood down from duty for Liverpool’s clash with Arsenal.
This marked the second time in as many home matches that Chelsea benefited from VAR. On the opening weekend, Eberechi Eze’s free-kick for Crystal Palace was disallowed for interference by Marc Guehi.
The growing controversy has fueled criticism, with Burnley manager Scott Parker warning that VAR risks making football “the most sterile game there is.”
Webb, however, defended the technology, insisting its use in the Premier League is more restrained compared to other top European leagues.
“We’ve done really well in the last 18 months to reduce interventions and respect referees’ calls. But when we get it wrong, like in this case, the impact is significant. We’re always striving to do better,” he said.
