Sports
Referee, VAR Errors On Increase In EPL
Refereeing mistakes on the field and through the video assistant referee have risen across most categories in this season’s Premier League.
The Premier League’s Key Match Incidents (KMI) panel declared another four errors by referees in its latest report, taking the total to 54.
At the same stage last season there had been 44 wrong or missed VAR interventions, or on-field mistakes which did not reach the threshold for a video review.
Professional Game Match Officials (PGMO) has said that the general trend is positive, with 70 mistakes after 30 games of the 2023-24 campaign.
But there have already been as many VAR errors this season (18) as in the whole of the last campaign – although with a quarter of the season left, that figure is much lower than the overall total for 2022-23 (38) and 2023-34 (31).
One area of improvement has been incorrect VAR reviews, which have fallen from four to three.
However, season-on-season there have been more missed VAR interventions (15), on-field errors (25) and incorrect second yellow card decisions (11).
In the round of matches between 14 and 16 March, the KMI Panel determined that three penalties should have been awarded, but the VAR was correct not to step in.
Arsenal should have been given a spot-kick against Everton for a foul by Michael Keane on Kai Havertz while Chelsea defender Reece James pulled back Newcastle United’s Malick Thiaw inside the area.
There should also have been a penalty for Brentford, when Kevin Schade was held by Wolverhampton Wanderers‘ Andre.
The fourth error was an incorrect second yellow card for Leeds United‘s Gabriel Gudmundsson at Crystal Palace. This was not reviewable by VAR, but will be from next season.
The KMI Panel is an independent, five-person body which assesses all incidents from each round of matches.
There have been fewer VAR interventions this season, down from 89 to 83. PGMO says this indicates better on-field decision making to the intended high bar.
It adds that delays because of VAR have improved by 25% over the last three campaigns. Stoppages have fallen from 64 seconds in 2023-24 to 48 seconds this season, which includes announcements inside stadiums.
On-field accuracy, which excludes VAR interventions to correct errors, has remained consistent at about 86% since the 2023-24 season.
A well-known football pundit in the State, Chief Christopher Okonkwo has lauded the efforts and vision of the Super Eagles Coach Eric Chelle for going from one venue of the Nigeria Domestic Nigeria Professional Football League match to the other in monitoring Nigerian players, with a view to invite some exceptional good one discovered into the main stream of the Super Eagles team.
Okonkwo, who made the commendation in an interview at the Port Harcourt Club recently, described the positive move by Coach Chelle as a good step in the right direction, noting that the practice was how its been done in the past among any contracted coach assigned to tinker the Super Eagles team.
“Truly, it has been an old tradition in the country seeing any newly engaged Coach to lead the National team, visiting some our Nigeria League venues during the league matches to spot light some good talents that could be used to beef up some grey areas in the department of Eagles team”
He, however, frowned at the current situation where our coaches had continously been over depending on the use of foreign based players during invitation of players to the National camp, thereby, relegating the domestic home based league players to the background as if they have nothing much to offer to the team.
“I can vividly recall that the likes of great players in the mode of Finidi George, Taribo West, Kanu Nwankwo, Austin Okocha, Richard Owobokiri, Emmanuel Osuigwe among others started from Nigeria football league before they graduated to play in Europe through which they later invited to Super Eagles camp to represent Nigeria”
“Besides, I’m also of the view that going to secondary school football competitive games could equally serves as a a good platform to discover budding talents that could be nurtured to become great stars in near future”, Okonkwo frankly added.
Okonkwo, therefore, prayed that any football coach to be engaged by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to tinker the Super Eagles should be told not to confine himself in staying in big hotel alone but to be visiting some of our local league match venues, with a view to discover some good players that can be drafted into the Super Eagles team.
“Indeed, I stand to be challenged that there some young good players in the Nigeria Professional League. If spotted and exposed, could give the some of the invited foreign based players a stiff competitive fight in securing a postion in the team”, Okonkwo emphatically stated.
Ezechukwu, one of the youngest members of the Nigerian contingent at the championship in Ghana, said her ambition was to win the 100m title in style and cap it with a new personal record.
The fresh secondary school graduate explained that she is fully focused on contributing to Team Nigeria’s medal hopes and is determined to deliver strong performances across her events.
“My main objective in Ghana is to clinch the 100m title and the 4×100m,” Ezechukwu told Tidesports source.
“Nigeria can be assured of my very best and my commitment to the Team. I would love to set a new personal best in Ghana, but anything that comes, I will take it. The spirit in the team is high, and I think we are ready to go,” she said.
Ezechukwu, who was part of Nigeria’s women’s 4x100m relay squad at the World Relays in Botswana, said the experience gained from that competition has strengthened her mindset heading into the continental championships.
She admitted that she learned valuable lessons from her previous outing, including a difficult moment during the relay where an early error affected the team’s rhythm, but said she has used the experience to improve her discipline and composure.
“The secret is just being disciplined, training hard and trusting my coach and believing in God, and the result will show,” she added.
The teenager is part of a 41-member Nigerian team comprising 24 female and 17 male athletes competing at the championships, which begin today at the University of Ghana, Legon.
Nigeria are expected to compete across multiple track and field events as they aim for a strong finish against the continent’s elite athletes.
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