Vincent Kompany showed class with his verdict on the two goals that Liverpool contentiously had disallowed in their 2-0 win over his Burnley side on Boxing Day.
Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota ended up on the scoresheet for the Reds, although Cody Gakpo and Harvey Elliott both had their efforts controversially chalked off.
Speaking to Amazon Prime after the match, the Clarets boss empathised with the frustrations of his opposite number Jurgen Klopp and said that the implementation of VAR in the Premier League warrants a wider discussion.
Kompany declared (via Liverpool World): “It’s a bigger-picture discussion for me. In the overall package, we’ve had these moments against us. I understand Jurgen’s opinion and position. But from my perspective, the amount of times we have sat here and said it’s cost us points… they got the win.”
Unlike plenty of other managers who are unfailingly tribal towards their own club, the Burnley boss showed admirable honesty and empathy with his verdict on the two goals Liverpool had disallowed at Turf Moor, acknowledging that his team have also suffered at the hands of officials this season.
Those two clubs ae far from alone in having legitimate grievances about refereeing standards at Premier League level – look at how many times Wolves have had decisions go against them ranging from harsh to downright inexplicable.
Kompany’s mention of a ‘bigger-picture discussion’ must serve as a wake-up call for the PGMOL to get their house in order and quickly instill a significant improvement in the performance of their members.
We’re only halfway through the season and already there have been enough VAR-related controversies to provide material for a novel-length book to be published.
Managers wouldn’t stand for their own players performing well below the expected standard, so by the same token, the PGMOL must recognise that referees in the Premier League are simply getting things wrong far too often, and the status quo can’t be maintained.
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Both decisions were shocking and re-emphasise just how incompetent the current crop of officials are. How anyone can be so poor at their job and simply given a couple of weeks holiday as a sanction is staggering.
Thank you Vincent 😊 your a legend now YNWA
Hats off to Komoany. Classy response from a classy manager. Calm and composed on the touchline. Gets his players to play how he wants and if it goes wrong, it is on his head.
I wish them all the best for 2024
I don’t blame Tierney for disallowing Harvey’s goal, it looked like VAR showed him a still of Salah in an offside position and interfering. Surely seeing the “bigger picture’ of the push on Salah is crucial if Tierney is expected to make the right call? Reminded me of Curtis getting sent off at spurs…still pictures lead the ref to make decisions that VAR officials are encouraging and that’s what feels dodgy. The biggest problem in the game for me is diving and VAR has done nothing to stop it.
Yes diving and falling over when being touched is ruining the game and how referees cannot see what is genuine is beyond me! Needs to be cut out now!
Totally agree . It a pain. If a player trolls around holding his face as of he has been shot . Then he needs To leave the pitch for HIA for ten minutes to access the state of his injury as impossible to been ‘hit’ so hard that he rolls and rolls in angoy and few seconds later gets up and sometimes takes the free? Or better still whole gone to get the accessment his team is reduced to 10 men ..
He is a partisan referee together with the VAR team. As the official incharge of a match, he should have ensured that he went to check the monitor for himself. Lately, teams have suffered under poor officiating and the responsible authorities are let off the hook without any meaning sanctions. Webb and his contigent must put their act together and be impartial.
This is more than just being incompetent.. Release the full audio for when they see salah being pushed in to offside position and when nunez makes no contact with the defender
Spot on
The ultimate winner of the EPL will be determined by the officials of VAR.
PGMOL is a corrupt body with more bad decisions against Liverpool than against other teams.
And you wonder why everyone calls you Victimpool?
The only people who use the term Victimpool have severe head trauma. Real football fans throw away bias and want the game refereed correctly, whichever team is playing.
Spot on corruption of the highest the hatred of Liverpool football club is embarrassing
PGMOL are not corrupt, just inept. Read this article again and take the sentiment of it, and rethink your response.
TIme to go to a European Super league and leave all this incompetence and corruption behind. LFC have been done time and time again as have others. Wolves in first position in this respect. Time to employ foreign match officials?
That would not solve the current problem of PGMOL officials either not following play accurately, not understanding the rules, not applying the rules correctly and , I believe a small degree of bias. Another competition would only serve to provide another opportunity to proliferate the current problems!
Losing to spurs is suck with that kind of refereeing. That stupid var is no help either.
All premier club owners and managers should call a meeting immediately with the PGMOL before the rest of the season is played out.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. Far too many blatantly wrong decisions.
VAR has completely ruined the game, off side for a toe nail when the forward used to get the advantage, when showing replays they only show the worst and wrong angle of tackles , and the build up is missed , I’m starting to fall out with the sport and I’m 65,
PGMOL are not corrupt, just inept. Read this article again and take the sentiment of it, and rethink your response.
It is both corrupt and inept
VAR should show real time video and not still image. The real video should be shown at all possible angles. When the VAR show still image, that’s interpret that their decision is final and on field referee must accept their decision. Howard Webb did you get that?
Needs both still and real time play for instance a penalty decision whether it’s in the box or out may not be clear with the play moving a still will bring clarity, but I do see the ineptitude of the system. Plus “clear and obvious” is BULLSHIT! They can’t do ven define clear and obvious, the ref called a foul against Nunez wasnt it obvious to var there was no foul? El stupido if you want the correct decision get the correct call! Just like you are inch perfect on offside
Do they honestly think they will keep on getting away with this highly suspicious decision making? Let me get popcorn and watch how this will end in tears for Howard Webb n his minions.
It’s either these referees are corrupt or they’re gambling with the beautiful game..there needs to be investigation with these referees.. really getting out of hand..so poor it’s mind bothering..
Totally agree . It a pain. If a player trolls around holding his face as of he has been shot . Then he needs To leave the pitch for HIA for ten minutes to access the state of his injury as impossible to been ‘hit’ so hard that he rolls and rolls in angoy and few seconds later gets up and sometimes takes the free? Or better still whole gone to get the accessment his team is reduced to 10 men ..
I would like to see Vincent at the top of the table fighting for the title and to loose a match like Tottenham vs Liverpool poor officiating when you would have lost the league by one point and that was three points lost, he can afford to say that because he is where he is.