
<p>Former <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/premier-league-tv-schedule/">Premier League</a> referee Lee Mason has reportedly been re-hired by Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) this summer. Mason previously stepped down as a match referee earlier in the year after a serious mistake while on duty. While he may not return to the sidelines, PGMOL has brought back Mason to train referees.</p>



<p><em><a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-12388871/Lee-Mason-hired-PGMOL-despite-spectacular-VAR-error-Brentfords-clash-Arsenal-season.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mail Sport</a></em> is claiming that Mason will now work with Premier League, EFL, and <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/womens-super-league-tv-schedule/">Women’s Super League</a> referees. However, the outlet reports that the former ref will primarily focus on <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/english-league-one-tv-schedule/">League One</a> and <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/english-league-two-tv-schedule/">League Two</a>. PGMOL will supposedly not assign Mason to any VAR duties.</p>



<h2>Lee Mason previously at fault for massive VAR blunder </h2>



<p>Mason was initially <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/ref-lee-mason-dropped-from-weekend-premier-league-games-20230214-WST-419724.html">dropped</a> by the Premier League for a massive mistake during Arsenal’s draw with Brentford in February. He eventually left his job entirely six days later. While working in the VAR booth, the veteran ref somehow failed to notice that a Bees player was in an offside position for their lone goal. </p>



<p>Replays showed Christian Norgaard was&nbsp;<a href="https://twitter.com/footballdaily/status/1625099254959071233" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">offside</a>&nbsp;when the ball was played to him ahead of Brentford’s game-tying goal. The midfielder collected the ball and crossed it to Ivan Toney, who then put the ball into the net. Mason reviewed the goal, but somehow never drew the offside lines on the screen to check if Norgaard was offside. The draw came at a time in which the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/arsenal-tv-schedule/">Gunners</a> were fighting for a Premier League title with eventual winners <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/manchester-city-tv-schedule/">Manchester City</a>.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">So just been informed by a reliable source that Lee Mason has been appointed a Referee Coach for the PGMOL<br>The guy who did not set the world alight in the middle but was a survivor and was an abject failure in the VAR role will be advising and passing in his skill sets to others.</p>— KEITH HACKETT (@HACKETTREF) <a href="https://twitter.com/HACKETTREF/status/1689168848878977024?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<h2>Recent PGMOL changes not going down well with players</h2>



<p>Mason’s reintroduction is the latest in a series of questionable moves by PGMOL. The organization recently announced that it will be <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/efl-premier-league-refs-to-crack-down-on-time-wasting-20230728-WST-446158.html">cracking down on time-wasting</a> during the 2023/24 season. While the move is an interesting idea, players are not happy with the decision. Kevin De Bruyne and Raphael Varane have already claimed that the added time will <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/de-bruyne-varane-slam-epl-extra-time-rule-changes-20230808-WST-448570.html">negatively impact</a> players on the pitch.</p>



<p>Prior to leaving his role in February, Mason was a professional referee for 15 years. He managed to work nearly 300 total Premier League matches during his career as an official.</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / Action Plus</em></p>


Former Premier League official Lee Mason has been re-hired by PGMOL to train referees. The league dropped Mason for a massive VAR mistake.

Lee Mason returns to train referees despite EPL drop


<p>After leaving the referees’ body PGMOL <a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/64683971" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">by mutual consent</a>, Lee Mason will no longer be officiating games in the Premier League. </p>



<p>The 51-year-old who has been referring in the top flight for over 15 years departs days after his mistake during <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/arsenal-held-at-home-by-brentford-20230211-WST-419454.html">Arsenal’s 1-1 draw against Brentford</a> earlier this month.</p>



<h5>Arsenal VAR decision  </h5>



<p>Mason, who was the Video Assistant referee during the match failed to disallow Ivan Toney’s equalizer in the 74<sup>th</sup> minute after it later appeared that Christian Norgaard was offside leading to the goal. </p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">PGMOL can confirm its Chief Refereeing Officer Howard Webb has contacted both Arsenal and Brighton &amp; Hove Albion to acknowledge and explain the significant errors in the VAR process in their respective Premier League fixtures on Saturday. <a href="https://t.co/dCDkooxhxf">pic.twitter.com/dCDkooxhxf</a></p>— PGMOL (@FA_PGMOL) <a href="https://twitter.com/FA_PGMOL/status/1624765372204257282?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 12, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<p>The decision would later have a massive impact on the Premier League title race as it allowed reigning Champions <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/where-to-find-nottingham-forest-vs-manchester-city-on-us-tv-20230218-WST-419923.html">Manchester City to close the gap</a> on Arsenal. City also went top of the standings in midweek when they beat the Gunners at the Emirates on Wednesday.</p>



<h5>PGMOL statement</h5>



<p>A statement from PGMOL read, “Lee was a Premier League referee for 15 years and oversaw 287 top-flight matches during that time, with his last coming during the closing stages of the 2021/22 season. </p>



<p>His full career in the professional game saw the 51-year-old officiate in over 500 fixtures after he progressed to the Football League in 1998. </p>



<p>We would like to thank Lee for his dedicated service to the professional game and wish him all the best for the future.”</p>



<p>PGMOL’s Chief Referring Officer Howard Webb later contacted Arsenal to acknowledge and explain the error.</p>



<p>However, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta didn’t buy the apology claiming, “It wasn’t human error, it was not understanding your job. It cost Arsenal two points that are not going to be restored so we are going to have to find those two points somewhere else in the league.”</p>



<p>Mason had also been responsible for several VAR errors this season. This includes the decision that led to Arsenal’s opening goal against Manchester United in September which was also disallowed.</p>



<p>Photo credit: IMAGO / PA Images</p>


After leaving the referees’ body PGMOL by mutual consent, Lee Mason will no longer be officiating games in the Premier League.

ALL POSTS TAGGED "lee mason"

English Football

Lee Mason returns to train referees despite EPL drop

Leagues: EPL

Lee Mason won’t referee in Premier League after quitting PGMOL