Leicester City met with the Premier League to express their frustration over a controversial video assistant referee (VAR) decision during last weekend’s draw with Crystal Palace.
Manager Steve Cooper was left disappointed by the decision to allow Jean-Philippe Mateta’s goal for Palace in the 47th minute, which came soon after Leicester had taken a 2-0 lead in the second half.
Mateta tapped in Tyrick Mitchell’s cross, which was initially ruled offside by the assistant referee. However, after a VAR review with offside lines drawn, the goal was given.
“It was an awful human error that we believe has been hidden a little bit in the media, and that’s been as disappointing as the decision,” Cooper said.
Cooper revealed that Leicester met with the league on Monday, where club officials presented footage to back up their belief that the offside call was made at the wrong moment.
According to Cooper, officials “froze the game for the offside decision” at the incorrect time. He added that “everything that has been seen by the media by the panel has been a false image”.
#CRYLEI – 48’ VAR OVERTURN
Mateta’s goal is initially ruled out for offside but VAR confirmed that he was onside and the goal is awarded. pic.twitter.com/BSHcUGdYPo
— Premier League Match Centre (@PLMatchCentre) September 14, 2024
The 44-year-old further explained that the footage his club presented to the Premier League had not been seen by the public or media outlets and said it highlighted discrepancies in the VAR review process.
“Everything that you see on the day on Sky, PLP (Premier League Productions) and everything else has been false, really, in terms of the decision, because it was stopped at the wrong time,” he said.
“Show the footage. Don’t put out the wrong images that they’ve used, the ones where they did stop the game and he is onside.
“We’ve told the Premier League what our thoughts are and the referees department and they met us, to be fair, on Monday, that’s where we’re at with it.”
Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) — the body responsible for refereeing in England — informed Leicester during Monday’s meeting that their position is that there was no human error, nor was a mistake made.
They believe that the process followed to make the decision — including the determination of when the ball was kicked — was the correct one and consistent with the protocol that is applied in all Premier League matches.
Mateta scored two goals to earn Palace a draw against Leicester (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
VAR has been used in the English top flight since 2019, helping improve decision making but also generating persistent controversy.
In June, Premier League clubs voted in favour of continuing to operate VAR in the Premier League, after teams held a vote on whether to abolish the system following a motion from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Top-flight sides have a constitutional right to propose rule changes, but any such proposal requires a two-thirds majority (14 out of 20 clubs) to pass. This was not reached, with the Premier League saying “it was agreed that improvements should be made for the benefit of the game and supporters”.
The Premier League has been contacted for comment.
(Plumb Images/Leicester City FC via Getty Images)
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