All fans want is a bit of consistency.Of course, when that consistency comes at a cost for your team, it’s never nice. But when it comes to refereeing decisions, the introduction of VAR was meant to...
All fans want is a bit of consistency.
Of course, when that consistency comes at a cost for your team, it’s never nice. But when it comes to refereeing decisions, the introduction of VAR was meant to ensure one thing: consistency.
Instead, the only consistency these days is that the Premier League referees remain woefully inconsistent.
From one week to the next, snap that, from one decision to the next, within a game, there is no consistency.
Now, that doesn’t have to be bad. We don’t want the game to be refereed by robots or AI. The issue is that PGMOL and other refereeing bodies are insistent on removing as much human error as possible.
The introduction of VAR should have been a blessing. Instead, its botched use has proved a curse.
But what it should have done is reduce the grey areas. It should have limited the need for subjectivity in some instances and helped officials implement clear guidance where required.
One of those areas should be the handball rule, yet instead of providing any clarity, PGMOL continues to make a complete pig’s ear of applying the guidelines with any consistency whatsoever.
On Saturday, Everton suffered their latest injustice related to this particular rule. And for the second time in as many games, they were denied a clear-cut penalty.
While the spot-kick that the Toffees should have been awarded against Arsenal was not due to a handball, but instead a wild attempt at a clearance by William Saliba, which caught the leg of Thierno Barry, it was a blatant mistake from both the on-field referee and those officials in the VAR room at Stockley Park.
Fast-forward a week, and it is much more understandable than Craig Pawson (quite possibly the most unpopular of the Premier League referees among Evertonians) missed the handball offence by Burnley’s Jaidon Anthony as he attempted to block Tyler Dibling’s effort late on at Turf Moor.
Anthony was rushing out at speed, and Dibling’s attempt was hammered in at pace. But the ball clearly struck the Burnley winger’s arm as he attempted to block it. Even if Pawson missed it, which is easy enough, Dibling and his teammates immediately appealed and there was an instant VAR check.
The replays showed it all. There should have been no question that Pawson should, at the very least, been asked to go to the touchline monitor and reassess his decision. If he still felt no offence had occurred, then that was his call to make. But there is no way he clearly and objectively had the information to clear Anthony of wrongdoing.
Yes, the ball was hit with venom and there was little space between Dibling and Anthony. Yet that has not stopped Premier League referees from dishing out similar penalties this season. Indeed, Everton have been on the end of two such decisions.
Firstly, there was the James Tarkowski incident on the opening day against Leeds United. Tarkowski’s arm was in no way in an unnatural position, but due to the distance the ball travelled, it was adjudged to be a penalty after a forensic VAR inspection.
In the second game of the season, against Brighton, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was deemed to have handled. His arms were up and away slightly from his body, as would be natural as he lunged in feet-first to make a block. There was less than three yards between him and the shooter, yet a penalty was still awarded.
So quite how the VAR officials on duty for the Burnley game failed to send Pawson to the screen is a mystery.
What is equally as frustrating, though, is the lack of vocal disappointment from within Everton’s camp.
Manager David Moyes said he had not seen the incident in detail, though did not disagree when he was then told by journalists in his post-match press conference that it could easily have been given.
While Moyes understandably did not look for excuses after a drab display in a dour draw, this felt like an opportunity wasted. Other clubs, and Everton’s dear neighbours across Stanley Park are chief among them, squander no chance to bemoan refereeing decisions and what they feel is harsh, inconsistent treatment.
This is something Everton as a club must be better at. The players on the pitch must be better at getting around officials — forcing them to do their jobs. Tarkowski, as captain, must ensure he is the one leading this and, while acting respectfully, applying as much pressure as he is allowed to. It is the best way to get this batch of officials to take accountability.
Everton as a club must start being bullish. Call out the inconsistencies, call out the discrepancies and the mistakes. Take the fine or punishment if it comes.
There is no grand conspiracy in place; it is mere incompetence. But that incompetence continues to cost Everton points, and other clubs, too. They say that over the course of a season, these decisions even each other out. Well, in close to 25 years of supporting this club, this writer has not experienced that much “evening out”.
Everton should start to realise, playing nice gets you nowhere. It’s time to get nasty.
Reader Comments (36)
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Ian Jones 1 Posted 28/12/2025 at 13:35:48
Hi Patric, interesting read.
I feel sure we have also benefited from decisions that went in our favour. Don't ask me for examples because naturally we tend to focus on the injustices.
One thing to be mentioned which frustrates me is that the way the rules and laws are interpreted by refs seems to change throughout the same season. Whilst some of the changes are positive, it does lead to the fact that teams may have benefited or the reverse from the changes in interpretation.
Ian Wilkins 2 Posted 28/12/2025 at 14:13:55
Things definitely haven't balanced themselves out thus far for us. Penalties for and against totally inconsistent treatment and we have been the wrong side of handball decisions too many times, and I agree we're far too nice about it. If it balances itself out then we're going to get half a dozen penalties against somebody.
It's the inconsistency that drives you mad. These refs aren't amateurs, they meet up every week, why can't they find any consistency?
Same with VAR some officials re referee every decision, some don't take a proper look at obvious errors. VAR is fine for offsides, those decisions are technical, not subjective. Unless it's interfering with play, in which case it's a lottery again.
All we ask is that the subjective decisions are based upon a consistent set of agreed standards.
Dale Self 4 Posted 28/12/2025 at 14:32:12
Until we play decent football, we will be laughed off for such complaints.
Tony Abrahams 5 Posted 28/12/2025 at 15:26:35
The squeaking hinge gets the oil, Patric, but when Frank Lampard pointed out the obvious after another terrible refereeing display at Anfield, he got a £30,000 fine.
I just don't understand the way the handball rule is currently being implemented.
Liverpool got a penalty at Burnley for a hand being in an unnatural position stopping a poor cross, Everton get nothing for a powerful goalbound shot being blocked by a hand, because the defender had got himself close to the shot?
Newcastle should have definitely got a penalty at Old Trafford the other night, but the inconsistency is absolutely disgusting right now.
Merle Urquart 7 Posted 28/12/2025 at 16:07:30
Let's see how this plays out:
EFC: "We really must protest!"PL: "Shut up."EFC: "Okay."
Raymond Fox 8 Posted 28/12/2025 at 16:08:14
If you look up what constitutes a foul in football, the refs and VAR are not carrying out the rules, simple as that.
Barging -- and I don't mean shoulder to shoulder, pulling attackers over in the box and the bye line.
If they start giving penalties, the fouling would soon stop.
Martin Farrington 9 Posted 28/12/2025 at 18:16:53
Everton have ALWAYS had negative refereeing decisions.
Ian @1 states we have benefitted, but cant remember any. Exactly.
I can list (off the top of my head) at least a dozen (in seconds) of massively crooked decisions against us..
That when other top clubs apply immediate pressure when they feel aggrieved and the authorities instantly react and ensure certain officials make the next non / iffy claim a stonewaller speaks volumes.
What this does is show that Everton are a footballing powerhouse non-entity.
Crooked Bill was a millstone around the clubs neck, nearly killing it and had about as much influence as a twig in a hurricane.
Our new owners have not yet ingratiated themselves. Summers signings apart from two, were piss poor. So on field we are nowhere near what is required for those in corrupt power to sit up and worry.
With the ground, already designed and mostly built, which had nothing to do with them that wont add kudos. Simply put, they rode in with a fistful of dollars. Grabbing a great asset. But have a long long long way to go to prove themselves and repair the deep damage caused over the last three to four decades.
Plus they prefer to remain silent.
The CEO, Kinnear's recent gibberish undermined himself instantly.
So Moyes is the only strength that we have at the club. And that carries 0 weight as far as his reputation is concerned. Especially after his recent and somewhat odd failed attempt.
All we can do is, not much. Point out the glaringly obvious biases. Keep a record. And at the end of the season, politely and gentleman like present the evidence to the league. There is no recourse but as a toothless tiger, until we are in a position to be listened to we are going to have to take the injustices.
Charles Brewer 10 Posted 28/12/2025 at 20:55:39
I was happy with the Tarkowski penalty, I think that all hand / arm contact with the ball in the penalty area (by a defender, obviously) should be a penalty; intent and "natural posture" and proximity should not be relevant.
I was much less happy when Branthwaite (if I recall correctly) "gave away" a penalty when stepping back into someone's foot, but there was at least an argument there.
However, indistinguishable handball cases which have different results, and players kicking other players from behind is a different matter.
But then, who gets deducted 10 points because the Premier League decide to change accounting rules after a season is complete and then decides to have another go the next year for the same offence, while others get away with pretty much any financial behaviour they like? (This is not a suggestion that Man City are punished; I think the authorities should just get out of the entire matter).
The fact is that VAR has actually made things worse apart from in offside, where I would prefer Arsene Wanger's suggestion that there needs to be clear daylight between the players for offside and that Ozil's eyes or Big Nose's nose should not be the determining factor in "unfair advantage".
Jay Harris 11 Posted 28/12/2025 at 21:31:54
The thing I cant stand is the claim "It wasn't a clear and obvious error"'
Surely an error is an error and should be corrected.
There is clear and obvious bias against Everton, both for and against.
As someone has already said, we are too soft in accepting decisions. We should get at the ref and ensure he knows how convinced we are on a decision.
Brendan McLaughlin 12 Posted 28/12/2025 at 22:13:10
Jay #11,
I agree that any error should be corrected but I don't understand why the phrase "clear and obvious" is used when VAR intervenes when many decisions are neither clear nor obvious.
And by the way, that's not a criticism of VAR -- just the use of the phrase "clear and obvious".
Tony Abrahams 13 Posted 28/12/2025 at 22:32:45
In a nutshell, Brendan.
I've just looked at a couple of tweets someone has put on the Everton website page regarding the different tweets put out by the PGMOL, for two exact same offences that both got different decisions, neither of them to the benefit of Everton.
The first one explains why Dewsbury-Hall was punished for a handball earlier in the season, and the second one explains why the Burnley player wasn't punished yesterday.
The only thing that is clear and obvious is that they are simply making it up as they go along.
Jonathan Oppenheimer 14 Posted 29/12/2025 at 04:46:34
Referee input here: There actually are guidelines we go by when making a decision, even though the inconsistencies seem ridiculous. The problem is that, just like most offences in football, there will always be subjectivity.
And when it comes to “clear and obvious”, then when the referee didn't see something, like with Pawson yesterday, they didn't exactly make an error, but in a situation like that, I don't want VAR calling a handball because Anthony's hand wasn't in an unnatural position. Just my opinion.
As for Barry last week, I understand why people are livid that it's called one week and not the next, but what would be best for football would be if those calls were never made in the first place; certainly the kick to Barry's foot didn't affect play, nor did it warrant him rolling on the ground like he'd been shot.
Of course where people get angry is when these calls are given against us, but not for us, and that gripe can feel rational, but each case really is different.
I hated the Tarkowski call, because his hands were tucked behind his back, but I hated it more because the Assistant Referee made the call and had zero angle to make it; then because it wasn't “clear and obvious” they kept it.
The Dewsbury-Hall one could go either way, and I'd always prefer they err on the side of calling ”natural position” and not giving it, but I got why it fell in the category of becoming “unnaturally bigger.”
As for that Branthwaite one where he stepped on the defender going backwards, they at least admitted the error.
The biggest one in recent memory that went for us was the Ashley Young slide tackle where he got nowhere near the ball — and maybe could've had a second one in that same match if I recall correctly.
As for this argument about making a big deal of it, I'm not sure how it helps. You only want to surround the ref if you're sure it's a penalty, which no one was sure of yesterday, but even then it's VAR making the decision, so yelling at Pawson doesn't help.
Maybe it helps a little for Moyes to point out inconsistencies but, as we've seen, pointing that stuff out publicly doesn't help at all, and at worse it hurts, both in getting future calls and in being fined.
All of which is a lot of words to also say that VAR is just awful and the inconsistencies are maddening, but there will always be inconsistency because refereeing is subjective by nature.
But remember that, if we got rid of VAR — which they'll never do — the players trying to cheat the ref every play in the penalty area will only get worse. And everyone will complain when the obvious errors can't be corrected. Damned no matter what.
Derek Thomas 16 Posted 29/12/2025 at 07:04:44
The Premier League are in direct contravention of Fifa's own rules. Fifa rules state (jist)...
The Referee controls the game... assisted by -- amongst others, the Video Assistant Referee, not the other way around.
VAR video assistant referee -- the clue's in the name.
Until somebody pulls them on this -- and the incestuous nepotistic relationship they have with referees, nothing will change. They select the referees, they pay the referees.
He who is paying the piper is calling a shite corrupt tune.
Andy Meighan 17 Posted 29/12/2025 at 08:24:29
100% correct, Patric, us and Wolves particularly have seen some disgraceful decisions given against us. Like you said, it's time to get nasty and Everton as a club need to lighten up.
I myself haven't seen much evening up over the season and doubt we will do. It's corrupt and Everton need to get streetwise. I for one am sick to death of it.
Two in a week where we could have been 3 points better off.
Dave Abrahams 18 Posted 29/12/2025 at 10:40:59
Jonathon (14)
Spoken like a referee, I like you a lot when you post as an Everton fan.
Just one point about players harassing the ref: Everton played at Newcastle a couple of seasons ago and one player, Ashley Young, appealed passionately when he was aggressively wrestled to the ground in the penalty area when Everton were attacking.
The ref at first wasn't listening but Young persisted the argument and eventually the ref was sent to have a look at the incident and couldn't make any other decision but a penalty to the Blues -- which got us a very valuable point that season.
My point being, if Young's complaint didn't persuade the ref, it persuaded the other duffers 200 miles away to instruct the main man(?) to alter his decision.
Chris James 20 Posted 29/12/2025 at 12:27:40
The Burnley penalty non-award was absolutely outrageous to me. If that happens against Liverpool, Man Utd, Man City or Arsenal, it's given every time!
Anthony's arms were stretched out from his body (not tucked in) and clearly stopped the shot. Was it deliberate? Who knows, but it's utterly irrelevant -- he stopped the ball with his hand. Fact.
The definition of 'natural position' is I think causing far more problems than it solves in this whole debate. It's natural to lift your arms up when you jump, but no one's arguing against O'Brien's penalty vs Arsenal.
As for the Arsenal game, I think Saliba kicking Barry's foot was a foul, would be a free-kick anywhere else on the pitch, and I'm not clear why Zubimendi's contact was also not given.
I think we will have the odd bit of luck here and there, but the weight of decisions has been against us.
See also the fact we're still one of the only clubs to have been penalised with points deductions for the financial rules that everyone else seems to just skirt around freely.
I note that Man City's 100-odd point case still hasn't seen the light of day, I doubt it ever will now.
Jonathan Oppenheimer 21 Posted 29/12/2025 at 14:16:36
Dave 18,
I just try to give the occasional referee perspective, because sometimes it's important to get away from the emotion. Pawson is still a joke who should be nowhere near our matches — Jack @15, thanks for those numbers.
Tony @19, I'm all in favor of getting rid of VAR. I think it's become a total farce. Let semi-automated technology take care of offsides and let the rest be decided by the referee.
But remember, if you do that, we still have to wait 30 seconds to celebrate a goal to check for offside, which is a big reason people want rid of it, so you can actually celebrate a goal.
Tony Abrahams 22 Posted 29/12/2025 at 14:39:45
Yes Jonathan, that's one of the main reasons, but definitely not the only one, mate.
Moyes basically came out and said it last week. The standard of refereeing is diabolical and the PGMOL are mostly trying to protect the ineptitude of these very poor officials by doing nothing.
Where do we draw the line? Great when listening to Coldplay, but absolutely appalling when you think about what they have done to the beautiful game.
Patric Ridge 23 Posted 29/12/2025 at 14:55:00
@Ian #1
Definitely, Everton have had decisions go their way. It's part of the game.
However, I do feel that the club play too nice at times. They could make their case louder. Sometimes, it's worth the disruption.
Jonathan Oppenheimer 24 Posted 29/12/2025 at 15:39:42
Tony @22,
Where I would quibble is that I don't think the refereeing as a whole is as bad as some people think. These are professionals doing an incredibly difficult job at any level, nevermind the speed at which top players play, and the amount of conning these players do. Sure, there are much better matches refereed than others, but the ones we remember overall are the big calls that go against us.
Every match has 2-4 big calls that the referee crew has to get right. VAR was supposed to get us as close to 100% on those as possible. Instead, we created a monster where that doesn't happen, and nobody is happy. I'd be curious how many signatures we could get for a petition to bin the whole thing in the Premier League.
It will change only when the big-money clubs come out against it, and if in fact the data show that they get more calls their way via VAR than the smaller clubs, then they'll never do it. But it has become quite the joke.
Though back to the Burnley match, no VAR and there's no way a referee will make that call in real time. In fact, they'll miss many handballs other than the blatant ones — which I'd be just fine with.
Tony Abrahams 25 Posted 29/12/2025 at 15:59:32
I disagree with this last paragraph, Jonathan, because I do believe certain clubs would have got that penalty. Maybe it was fresh on Pawson's mind to follow suit with the appalling decision that went against Newcastle at Old Trafford the night before, so as to stop people “saying” that if it had been against one of the smaller teams, that penalty would have definitely been given?
I do believe that refereeing is such a hard job, it amazes me how linesmen get so much right in this ultra-fast sport Jonathan, so if I had my way I'd be retrospectively coming down hard on cheats.
Jay Harris 27 Posted 29/12/2025 at 16:34:44
While we are talking about rights and wrongs, can I throw in throw-ins (pun intended)?
It infuriates me that players steal 10 yards or more and usually take an eternity to take the throw-in while keepers are now allowed 8 seconds with the ball.
Mick Springstein 28 Posted 29/12/2025 at 16:38:39
Craig Pawson is a ball and chain on the club's ambitions and the club should be requesting an investigation. It's not one or two questionable decisions now -- it's many; showing itself to be spite.
Every time his name is mentioned in an official capacity connected with a forthcoming Everton game, our fans know that something we should get, and other clubs would get, we won't get.
His obvious vendetta and bias harms our chances of success every season and it cheats our fans out of their hardworking money, bending rules which robs us of results that should, if judged fairly, send them home happy instead of repeatedly disrupting our improvement.
Dave Abrahams 30 Posted 29/12/2025 at 20:54:55
Jonathon (21), Yes of course it’s right to get away from the emotion of the game and I don’t think every big decision which goes against Everton is the wrong one, I have also,mentioned a few times the cheating and falling down of the players which I believe is encouraged by officials of every club as well as the waving of imaginary yellow and red flags, it is not an easy job but some/ a lot of referees now have let VAR take over a lot of the decisions instead of being honest and brave enough to do what they handsomely paid to do, the pundits also encourage players to cheat even more by condoning these dives with their “ He had a right to go down there”.
Anyway I think most fans would agree with your statement about getting rid VAR because it has become a complete farce.
Eric Myles 31 Posted 30/12/2025 at 00:38:48
The main problem with VAR is that it's incompetent referees marking the homework of other incompetent referees.
It's time to make it a panel including ex-players so long as it's not comprised of ex-redshite pundits.
Eric Myles 32 Posted 30/12/2025 at 00:41:12
As for retrospective punishment, Tony #25, isn't it already in the rules?
Remember Niasse retrospectively punished for diving when he was clearly fouled?
Adrian Phillips 33 Posted 30/12/2025 at 00:51:06
If you complain at all negative decisions which are down to referee discretion, then you will just be reminded of the fact it is referee's discretion. It then undermines your ability to criticize obvious errors.
I fully understand if Everton want to keep their powder dry and wade in only on an obvious case of referee error. They actually play it smart by stoking and publicising journalists and ex-referee opinion, rather than directly criticizing themselves.
Other teams, eg, Nottm Forest, take a different approach and are highly vocal. It gets them nowhere and they become just a joke with no-one but their own supporters taking them seriously.
Perhaps sometimes the Top 6 may have a bit more push, but Everton's tactics on this are pretty much in line with others. The main problem is inconsistency, particularly over handball and offside rulings. Contesting these does nothing.
What you can do is ask for clarification, which Everton does. The sum of all this is hopefully better training and guidance from the PGMOL. Even if you contest an obvious error, the best you get is an admittance that the decision was wrong.
Eric @ 31; ex players? God forbid! it will end up with all the usual Sky darling suspects.
As I stated before, the referee controls the game (plus 2... or even 4 linesmen)
Then, all that is required is, when the referee asks the question: Did I see what I thought I saw? a tech guy rolls the tape on the big screen!! and the referee looks.
Maybe like in the cricket say, 'rock and roll it'; this confirms or changes his decision. 50,000 boo or cheer, as they used to do anyway when it was just the Mk 1 eyeball.
1 or 2 tech guys only, no Premier League aka, Sky-funded PGMOL twats marking their own homework.
Offside and handball rules will need redefining, no getting out the microscope to check for big toes being offside, to make it less open to 'personal whim' -- aka shite 6 favouritism.
Josh Horne 36 Posted 30/12/2025 at 08:11:03
VAR will improve as it is increasingly outsourced to AI, and ultimately replaced by completely automated AI decision-making.
Semi-automated offside decisions are being made quickly and with far greater accuracy than previously, ask Richarlison. It is noticeable that players barely protest offside calls anymore.
AI decisions will be consistent from week to week and ground to ground. AI does not care what shirt a team wears.
There is no putting the genie back in the bottle. Every decision is scrutinised, referees cannot get them all correct and people will always disagree on how a subjective rule should be applied.
Jonathan Oppenheimer 38 Posted 30/12/2025 at 14:53:17
Yes, Tony 25 and Derek 32, the retrospective punishment brought back would be great. The Niasse suspension was a complete joke and they pretty much abandoned it after that.
Tony, my point as to why that handball would not have been given without VAR is that it it’s nearly impossible for the referee to have the proper angle to see it, plus how quickly it happened. To judge that in unnatural position of the arms in real time is nearly impossible.
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