It’s a complete shambles.’ Week after week the decisions get worse and worse.’ There have been ample opportunities to fix this mess.’ What we need his honesty as these decisions are costly.’ They also seem to be making it up as they go along, coming up with ridiculous explanations that bare no relations to the decisions that have been made.

I could be talking about this incompetent/corrupt government; however, I am in fact talking about something far more sinister and unaccountable, the PGMOL ‘ the referees.’ Without match officials the game can’t be played as games would be farcical and obviously without a government the country would collapse into chaos.’ However, are we that far away from either?

The standard of referees/politicians that we have gracing the sacred turf/Palace of Westminster leaves a lot to be desired.’ Certainly, the worst I can remember, and seemingly completely unaccountable to anybody.

I have heard people calling it corruption.’ In the government’s case I think it very much is corruption.’ People have clearly been greasing the wheels and becoming even more wealthy through being friends with the right people, being awarded government contracts, awarded top jobs and given peerages.’ They aren’t even hiding it anymore, it’s all happening in plain sight and there is nothing anyone can do about it, they are even trying to change the law to prevent judicial reviews happening.’ If this was happening in South America or Africa we would be outraged.

With regard to the PGMOL being corrupt, surely not.” Corruption would imply an abuse of power for private gain.’ Is getting a major decision wrong in every single game I’ve seen this season corrupt, or just plain incompetent?’ I have watched games that haven’t included Newcastle and there have been howlers in these games too.’ Take the Spurs v Liverpool game on Sunday, Kane should have seen red for an awful challenge, studs up and just below the knee.’ It’s red, no doubt about it.’ Second half of the same game and Robertson hacks Emerson Royal down.’ It’s essentially a kick, but nowhere near as dangerous as the challenge he received from Kane.’ Referee initially books Robertson, and then looks at VAR and upgrades it to a red.’ Why did he not look at VAR for the Kane challenge?” Is this corruption, or just plain incompetent?

Corruption we need to imply that someone/something was being gained for making bad calls.’ Who would be gaining though?’ There is an argument that the Premier League are desperate to get Newcastle relegated.’ Several decisions, at least one per game at the moment, seem to be going against us.’ However, these absolutely dreadful refereeing decisions are across the Premier League, game in, game out.

There is plenty wrong with the PGMOL.’ They recently lost a case with HMRC as they were trying to claim that the referees were self employed so they could avoid paying income tax.’ I’m no Columbo, but this seems a little bit sketchy to me.’ Surely, if you were a match official you would want to be employed by the independent organisation set up as a separate entity to avoid any conflicts of interest and have complete transparency.’ In order to make this tax scheme work for them the individual referees would have to set up their own companies, such as a company called ‘Elite Sport Performance and Management Ltd’ who has a ‘Stuart Attwell’ listed as a director.’ Now of course there is nothing wrong with this, but who would be overseeing this company?’ Could Mr Atwell, or any other referee with a private company, receive sponsorship payments, or consultancy fees for example?’ I have no idea, and I am in no way suggesting that Mr Attwell, or any other referee has, would or even could do this.’ As I say, I’m no Columbo.’ But where is the oversight?

Personally, I don’t believe referees are corrupt.’ I think there is a bias to teams that are in the top 6, but I think it’s an unconscious bias.’ However, VAR should be acting as a leveller, but it isn’t, it’s doubling down on the incompetence.’ Part of the problem is that the referees are not independent of each other, they all know each other, and this could have a baring on decisions.’ Not wanting to point out absolute howlers and make their pals look ridiculous.’ However, all it is doing is making them all look like they have no idea what they are doing.

Former ref Mark Halsey made claims five years ago that he was told by PGMOL to deny that he had seen controversial incidents when sending reports in the FA.’ There was never any evidence of this, however given some of the shite coming out from those within PGMOL attempting to defend their colleagues’ decisions at the moment I don’t think Halsey’s claims are that fanciful.

The decisions recently are astonishing, as has been the defiance of the match officials themselves.’ Defending the indefensible by simply making stuff up as you go along.’ For point of reference see any cabinet minister talking about the 20 parties that happened at 10 Downing Street while we were all locked down.

Something must be done about VAR.’ I know a lot of people can’t stand it, but I think this could be a great tool if it was used correctly.’ It works in other sports;however they use the technology in a much better way.’ Perhaps PGMOL should learn from other sports.’ Perhaps we need VAR to be able to overrule the on-field call and not leave it to the on-field referee.’ I don’t have the answers, much like I don’t have the answers as to why people continue to vote Tory when it’s blindingly obvious that they are all out for themselves.

TIM WOOD’