Man United vs Man City: Premier League Make Controversial VAR Decision for Manchester Derby
- The Premier League have controversially assigned VAR duty of the Manchester derby to Paul Tierney
- The experienced official was in the VAR booth during the Merseyside derby and there were several contentious decisions
- Tierney was in the VAR booth when Everton's James Tarkowski avoided a card despite a dangerous tackle
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The Premier League has picked Paul Tierney as the VAR official for the Manchester derby set for Sunday, April 6 at Old Trafford.
Source: Getty Images
Why is Paul Tierney's appointment controversial?
Premier League referees have stolen many headlines for the wrong reasons this season and it seems it won't be ending any time soon.
On Wednesday during the Merseyside derby, Tierney was at the centre of controversy when they decided against sending off James Tarkowski who made a dangerous challenge.
During the tightly contested game, the Everton defender cleared the ball but caught Liverpool's Alexis Mac Allister with the follow-through.
On-field referee Sam Barrott gave Tarkwoski a yellow card but Tierney didn't send him to the VAR monitor. Most fans and pundits agreed it was a straight red card.
Tierney's VAR check lasted less than a minute. The decision did not go well with football fans.
On Sunday, he will be in the booth again for the Manchester derby in the Premier League and fans will be watching his decisions closely.
Fans react to Tierney's decision
"Paul Tierney hasn’t sent the ref over to the monitor because he knows it will be overturned. It’s just blatant corruption and anybody who believes they’re just ‘bad at their job’ is stupid. They know exactly what they’re doing."
"There are plenty of people who would hate to see Liverpool win the league. That's perfectly acceptable. What's not acceptable is when some of them are referees. Klopp called Paul Tierney out ages ago. He knew he was at best, biased. At worst, corrupt. Last night was another example."
"Paul Tierney on VAR should be sacked immediately. Has all the replays on VAR yet he’s not said that’s a red card or at least on the monitor. He should be accountable for allowing these tackles in the game without punishment."
Source: Getty Images
Controversial decisions in Premier League in 2024/25
There have been a few contentious decisions in the league this season. Myles Lewis-Skelly's red card when Arsenal faced Wolves caused an uproar but it was eventually rescinded.
In February the Premier League said there were 13 mistakes this year, including handbells, penalties and fouls.
Several decisions were overturned after appeals by clubs. Interestingly, mistakes have been declining since the technology was introduced in 2019, per BBC Sport.
Premier League fire David Coote
TUKO.co.ke earlier reported that the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) fired referee David Coote.
The Premier League referee was caught making derogatory comments about Liverpool and their former coach Jurgen Klopp.
He was also caught on video allegedly sniffing white powder.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
