Former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg has suggested that Mike Dean and Lee Mason could both be removed temporarily from officiating Southampton’s games.
That is according to former Premier League referee Mark Clattenburg who has written on the matter in his latest column for the Daily Mail.
Assessing the situation and the options available to PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) General Manager Mike Riley, Clattenburg said:
"“PGMOL chief Mike Riley has two options: he can continue to let Dean and Mason take charge of Saints matches, or he can let the situation die down by keeping them away for a while.“I expect Riley will opt for the latter. He will want to avoid conflict and sidelining Dean and Mason for Southampton games will make life much easier.”"
Everyone needs more clarity on VAR calls
Calls from Dean and Mason in two consecutive matches involving Saints have clearly angered the club and their fans. Four contentious VAR calls have played a part in losses to Aston Villa and Manchester United recently.
Some reports had suggested that Saints were set to make a formal complaint about the pair to the Premier League, but that appears to be wide of the mark.
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An appeal against Jan Bednarek’s red card after his dubious sending off in the 9-0 loss at United has been won though and this will be a boost given Saints’ injury and suspension issues.
Temporarily removing Dean and Mason will certainly help the situation die down but will not fix the ongoing issues that English football has with officiating currently.
VAR technology was hailed as something that could revolutionise by removing clear mistakes on offsides, penalties and red cards. However, it has just caused more confusion for supporters and even teams themselves – rule changes must surely come in to define a sensible offside margin, handball guidelines and other key decisions that affect results.
Not only will this help clubs and fans, it will help referees to make the calls that we see as fair whilst watching from our sofas at home.
Saints make the trip to Newcastle on Saturday with potentially 11 first-team players out and will be wanting a good level of officiating during the game. Referee and VAR appointments ave not been confirmed yet.