Professional Game Match Officials Limited

Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) is the body responsible for refereeing games in English professional football.

Formerly known as the Professional Game Match Officials Board (PGMOB), the PGMOL was formed when English referees became professional in 2001, to provide officials for all games played in the Premier League, English Football League (EFL) and Football Association (FA) competitions.^[1] In doing so, England became the first country in the world to fully professionalise its referees.^[1] The organisation is a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee owned and funded by the Premier League, EFL, and the FA.^[2][3]

Staff

Employee	Title
Martin Glenn	Chair[4]
Howard Webb	Chief Refereeing Officer[5]
Danielle Every	Chief Operating Officer[5]
Adam Gale-Watts	Technical Director[5]
Mike Jones	National Group Director[5]
Bibiana Steinhaus-Webb	Women’s Professional Game Director[5]
Rebecca Welch	Select Group Women’s Professional Game Manager[6]
Wayne Allison	Coaching Director[5]
Steve McNally	Performance Support Director[5]
Kevin Friend	Select Group 2 Manager[5]
Phil Bentham	Video Assistant Referee Coach[7]
Martin Atkinson	Select Group 1 Coach[8]
Alan Wiley	Referee Coach[9]
Mike Mullarkey	Head of Assistant Referees[10]
Rebecca Smith	Referee Coach[8]
Steve Child	Assistant Referee Coach[11]
Chris Foy	Head of Community and Public Engagement[12]
Richard Beeby	International Referee Development Manager[13]
Paul Russell	Head of Psychology[14]
Simon Breivik	Head of Fitness and Medical[15]
Lee Mason	Referee Coach[16]
Andre Marriner	Football Insights Coach[16]
Chris Kiwomya	Football Insights Coach[16]

Evaluation

The Select Group referees meet twice per month for training sessions and analysis of match videos and data.^[2]

The PGMOL have their own sports scientists, sports psychologists, physiotherapists, sprint coaches, podiatrists and vision scientists which mirror football clubs to help improve referee performance.

Every Premier League match is evaluated by a former senior referee to measure the referee's technical performance, along with fellow players and managers (match delegates) who assess accuracy and consistency of their decision making and management of their game to ensure the correct result^[2] PGMOL no longer sends evaluators to the match, instead relying solely on video analysis. Some referees in the Select Group have criticized this system, believing it misses critical environmental considerations in game management.^[17]

Sponsorship

The PGMOL changed its sponsorship for the 2010–11 season from Air Asia to its parent group, Tune Group.

For the 2012–13 season Expedia sponsored the officials,^[18] but this agreement ended after a year.^{[citation needed]}

For the start of the 2013–14 Premier League season PGMOL had no sponsor, but part way through the season EA Sports signed a long term agreement which saw their logo on the arms of all officials in the Premier League and EFL until 2019.^[19] In 2022, the sponsorship was renewed until the end of the 2024–25 season.^[20]

Controversies

Mark Halsey claim

In September 2016, Mark Halsey, a former member and referee, claimed that PGMOL asked him to lie in match reports. PGMOL denied the claim, and no further action was taken.^[21][22]

Employment status

In 2018, HMRC challenged the employment status of PGMOL appointed referees.^[23] The tax authority claimed that referees are employees, not self-employed as PGMOL claimed. The tax tribunals sided with HMRC, but the appellate court reversed, determining that their referees are self-employed.^[24] The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom heard the HMRC's appeal on 26 June 2023.^[25]

Implementation of Video Assistant Referees

Howard Webb acknowledged the turbulent implementation of Video Assistant Referees (VAR) after he became PGMOL's Chief. He stated that his goal is increased transparency in the VAR process.^[26][27] Such measures includes the introduction of an independent panel consisting of three players, a representative from the Premier League and a PGMOL official to evaluate VAR's performance during the 2022–23 season. The panel found six errors out of 48 decisions in the months before the 2022 FIFA World Cup break.^[28] The same panel found just four incorrect interventions in the latter half of the season.^[29] In the 2023–24 season, Webb consented to releasing the audio between VAR and on pitch officials for key and controversial calls in a regular TV programme, "Match Officials Mic'd Up".^[30] The show airs at the end of every month and features Howard Webb and former footballer Michael Owen discussing the process and addressing errors made by officials for the previous four match weeks. This is an expansion on the special release of VAR audio to address an error made by VAR during the September 30, 2023, match between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.^[31]

Apologies and acknowledgements of error

Date	Favored Team	Disfavored Team	Nature of the Call	Nature of the Mistake	PGMOL Action
22 February 2020[32]	Tottenham Hotspur	Chelsea	Red card not awarded	VAR did not think the challenge was avoidable.	PGMOL Head of Public Engagement Chris Foy attribute mistake to "human error by video officials"
17 October 2020[33]	Everton	Liverpool	Red card not awarded	All officials failed to consider all possible sanctions for the conduct.	Head Official Michael Oliver acknowledged that Jordan Pickford should have been sent off for "serious foul play or violent conduct" regardless of how the game resumed otherwise.
26 February 2022[34]	Manchester City	Everton	Penalty not awarded for handling	VAR deemed insufficient evidence of contact[35]	PGMOL Referees Chief Mike Riley issued an apology to Everton.
6 November 2022[36]	Aston Villa	Manchester United	Excessive distance on free kick	Head official over-measured the distance and ignored the complaints of players.	PGMOL Select Group 1 Manager Jon Moss assured the centre official would be spoken to.
7 January 2023[37]	Liverpool	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Onside goal disallowed	VAR did not have access to appropriate camera angles	The centre official allowed the coach to discuss the error before normal protocol would allow and personally apologise.
29 January 2023[38]	Liverpool	Brighton Hove Albion	Red card not awarded	VAR did not deem the yellow card a clear and obvious error	PGMOL stated that the foul was worthy of a red card.
11 February 2023[39]	Crystal Palace	Brighton Hove Albion	Onside goal disallowed	VAR incorrectly placed offsides line	Howard Webb issued an apology to Brighton. Referee John Brooks was removed from VAR for two games.
11 February 2023[39]	Brentford	Arsenal	Offsides goal allowed	VAR did not fully investigate incident	Howard Webb issued an apology to Arsenal.
8 April 2023[40]	Tottenham Hotspur	Brighton Hove Albion	Penalty not awarded	VAR did not deem the non-call a clear and obvious error	Chief Refereeing Officer Howard Webb issued an apology to Brighton.
14 August 2023[41]	Manchester United	Wolverhampton Wanderers	Penalty not awarded	VAR did not deem the non-call a clear and obvious error	Head official and both VAR officials were suspended from further matches.
30 September 2023[42]	Tottenham Hotspur	Liverpool	Onside goal disallowed	Miscommunication between VAR and on-field officials	Acknowledged the "serious human error" and released the referee audio from the match as well as subsequent matches to indicate new preventative procedures.[31][43][44]
8 October 2023[44]	Manchester City	Arsenal	Red card not awarded	Error by head official and VAR	Howard Webb admitted it was an error and review policies on officiating foreign games.
3 December 2023[45]	Tottenham Hotspur	Manchester City	Advantage not played	Error by head official	Howard Webb admitted to an "officiating mistake" by the head official.
23 December 2023[46]	Arsenal	Liverpool	Penalty not awarded	Error in judgment by head official and VAR	Howard Webb admitted that it was the wrong call and released the VAR audio.
21 April 2024[47]	Everton	Nottingham Forest	Penalty not awarded	Error in judgment by head official and VAR	Howard Webb admitted that it was the wrong call and released the VAR audio.

References

1. Ralston, William (21 March 2023). "The impossible job: inside the world of Premier League referees". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
2. Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) group officiate all Premier League matches, London: The Football Association Premier League Limited, retrieved 18 February 2022
   "Professional Game Match Officials", Premier League, 14 December 2012, archived from the original on 17 December 2012
3. Corporate information from UK Companies House at https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/04195554/filing-history
4. "Chair".
5. "Leadership Team".
6. "A trailblazing referee".
7. "Phil Bentham".
8. "Premier League to undergo 'radical referee shake-up' after clubs complain over declining standards". 24 June 2022.
9. "Alan Wiley".
10. "PGMOL".
11. "PGMOL".
12. "PGMOL".
13. "We want to create a pathway for Indian referees to reach elite level". 10 December 2021.
14. "For me well-being is like a cup".
15. "PGMOL".
16. "Lee Mason set for PGMOL return as referees' coach after VAR blunder last season". 9 August 2023.
17. Ralston, William (21 March 2023). "The impossible job: inside the world of Premier League referees". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
18. "Expedia Signs Up As Official Sponsor Of Professional Referees And Match Officials". Expedia. Archived from the original on 14 April 2014. Retrieved 13 April 2014.
19. "EA SPORTS becomes long-term partner of PGMOL", Premier League, 20 January 2014, archived from the original on 15 February 2014
20. Sonawane, Akshay (29 August 2022). "EA Sports, PGMOL sign partnership extension". SportsMint Media. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
21. Rumsby, Ben (4 September 2016). "Mark Halsey reveals incident he claims he was told to lie about by referee bosses as Gary Neville calls for investigation". The Telegraph – via telegraph.co.uk.
22. "Mark Halsey: Professional Game Match Officials Limited denies former referee's lie claims". BBC Sport. Manchester. 3 September 2016.
23. Professional Game Match Officials Ltd v Revenue & Customs (PAYE and NIC) [2018] UKFTT 528 (TC), 30 August 2018, retrieved 10 October 2023
24. Revenue and Customs v Professional Game Match Officials Ltd, [2021 STC 1956, [2021] EWCA Civ 1370, [2022] 1 All ER 971, [2021] BTC 27] (EWCA 17-Sep-23).
25. "Commissioners for His Majesty's Revenue and Customs (Respondent) v Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (Appellant)". The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
26. Stone, Simon (21 December 2022). "Six incorrect VAR interventions in Premier League". BBC Sport. Manchester. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
27. "Howard Webb exclusive: New PGMOL chief refereeing officer says VAR talks could be aired for better transparency". Sky Sports. London. 23 December 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
28. Johnson, Dale (21 December 2022). "Sources: Arsenal nixed goal at Utd was VAR error". ESPN. London. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
29. "VAR use in Premier League has improved, says independent panel, as Howard Webb targets specialists". Sky Sports. London. 19 April 2023. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
30. "Match Officials: Mic'd Up - Premier League in-game audio to be shown in new programme on Sky Sports". Sky Sports. London. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
31. "VAR audio released from Liverpool's disallowed goal by Luis Diaz in defeat at Spurs". Sky Sports. London. 3 October 2023.
32. "VAR made wrong call on Lo Celso – Foy". BBC Sport. Manchester. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
33. "Virgil van Dijk: Referee Michael Oliver admits mistake over Jordan Pickford tackle on Liverpool defender". Sky Sports. London. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
34. Magowan, Alistair (1 March 2022). "Everton receive handball apology". BBC Sport. Manchester. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
35. Johnson, Dale (1 March 2022). "Man City handball controversy: PGMOL sorry". ESPN. London. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
36. Luckhurst, Samuel (27 December 2022). "Referee group agrees with Manchester United over wall vs Aston Villa". Manchester Evening News. Manchester: Reach plc. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
37. Madeley, Steve. "The images VAR didn't see of Wolves' disallowed winner at Liverpool - and the reasons why". The Athletic. London: The New York Times. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
38. Johnson, Dale (30 January 2023). "PGMOL: VAR red-card error over Fabinho tackle". ESPN. London. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
39. Humayun, Ali. "Howard Webb contacts Arsenal about VAR 'error'". The Athletic. London: The New York Times. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
40. Johnson, Dale (9 April 2023). "Sources: PGMOL sorry to Brighton for VAR error". ESPN. London. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
41. Humayun, Ali. "Man Utd-Wolves ref, VAR dropped after Onana pen error". The Athletic. London: The New York Times. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
42. McNulty, Phil (30 September 2023). "Tottenham 2-1 Liverpool: Contrasting emotions but both sides can be Premier League title contenders". BBC Sport. Manchester.
43. "PGMOL release VAR audio from Spurs v Liverpool" (Press release). London: The Football Association Premier League Limited. 3 October 2023.
44. Rumsby, Ben (10 October 2023). "Michael Oliver was wrong not to show Mateo Kovacic a red card, admits referees chief Howard Webb". The Telegraph. London. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 11 October 2023.
45. Buckingham, Phillip; Burrows, Ben. "Webb admits to 'mistake' over Man City advantage decision vs Spurs". The Athletic. London: The New York Times. Retrieved 13 December 2023.
46. "Liverpool should have had penalty v Arsenal - Webb". BBC Sport. Manchester. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
47. MacInnes, Paul (30 April 2024). "Howard Webb admits VAR made error over Forest penalty claim at Everton". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 3 May 2024.