The Premier League HAS To Fix This..

Boy oh boy, the season is just around the corner

Fresh tactics, new signings, managerial reshuffles, but one thing clubs can't change themselves

could still be the defining factor of their success or failure, and that is officiating

PGMOL simply have to get it right this year, or things could get very ugly

Papa Pinkers here with 442. Let's talk about it. Now look, over the course of a season

mistakes happen. Players, managers, officials, fans, the lot. We are human. It's in our nature

to get things wrong sometimes. And I could deal with one mistake. Two, perhaps. Three, fair

Four, I'm getting a bit worried. Five, I'm deeply concerned. 18 mistakes is inexcusable. 18

That's how many VAR errors there were last season. Down from 31 the previous season

a 42% drop in wrong calls. Progress! No, that is still an unforgivable amount. 18 is still 18

moments where a team had been robbed, momentum was broken and the club's future was altered

18 moments that should have been impossible in a league with the resources, the funding

the technology and the reputation of the Premier League. What I don't think is taken into account

is the magnitude of what these errors can lead to. One small decision changes the whole trajectory of a football club

For example, let me take you back to the last game of the season. Man United versus Aston Villa

A huge game for Villa. A win for them would secure a Champions League spot

73 minutes on the clock, Oli Watkins scores to put them 1-0 up

Or so he thought. VAR deemed it as a foul on the keeper. No, it wasn't

The keeper lost control of the ball. Watkins slotted it home, fair and square

United going on to win the game. 2-0 and Villa miss out on Champions League football

No beating around the bush. That is disgusting. Every goal Villa scored that season, every win

everything they did in hopes of securing CL footy, completely taken away from them by poor officiating

And think about the butterfly effect that one decision has, not just for Villa, but for the sport

For example, let's say that goal stands. Villa qualify for the Champions League and Newcastle don't

Does that mean ESAC joins Liverpool early doors? Would they have even gone for Eketike in the first place then Maybe they could have made a move for Giocarez or Cescou instead changing Arsenal and Man United whole future United lose that game and finish 16th Would Amorin have got the sack

Would they then have signed Cunha and Mbwemo if that was the case? Look, of course, that was all

what-ifs, but it just goes to show how these decisions matter more than we can even comprehend

Now, it's fair to say a lot of people have completely lost all faith in VAR, and can you

really blame them. When it came in, VAR was sold to us like it was some sort of football messiah

The end of injustice. The cure for all those what-if moments we'd argue about down the pub

for decades. No more diving, no more handballs, no more ghost goals. Finally, football would get

what it deserved. The truth. Instead, we've ended up with a Frankenstein's monster of a system that

manages to be both painfully slow and still wrong. And that's the killer. People could forgive the

mistake when it was just the refs eyes against the pace of the game. But now, now we've got 76

camera angles, freeze frames, perfect lines on screens, technology worth millions. And somehow

these mistakes still happen far too often. So what happens? Trust erodes. Fans roll their eyes

before the decision's even been made. Players celebrate with half the conviction because they're

waiting for the inevitable checking possible offence graphic. Managers are left disgusted in press conferences

not just at the injustice, but at the absurd theater of it all

It's embarrassing. It's a disgrace. That's what it is, a disgrace. VAR was meant to bring clarity

but instead it's introduced a fog. The cameras don't decide when to intervene

The software doesn't choose whether it's a clear and obvious error or not

Every single call still comes down to the human sat in that booth

Headset on, eyes flicking between replays, making a judgment that can change the fate of a season

And I just hope they get it right this time around. The fans, players and pundits alike proudly call the Premier League

the best league in the world. So we need the same from the officials

As a fan that watches every game I can, week in, week out

last season felt like the talking point of each game wasn't the goals, wasn't the tactics, wasn't the drama, it was the decisions

The entertainment value last season plummeted in my opinion. Stoppages every two minutes

The pace of the game was completely and utterly destroyed. And it came to a point where I felt like PGMOL were more worried about not getting the decision wrong than actually getting it right if that makes any sense which isn where they want to be either

Some of the most clear and obvious decisions were taking far too long to make

because they knew the pressure was on them. And here's the thing, VAR has been around for seven years now

Seven. I think we should have a grip of it by now. Everyone in that booth needs to know their role, know the laws of the game

and most importantly, have the bottle to make the big calls quickly and confidently

Maybe the new laws introduced this season will help, but more about those in a second

This is how VAR should work. Look at Sheffield United in the Championship playoff final

Harrison Burrows smashes one in, Wembley's bouncing, looks like they've gone 2-0 up before halftime

But VAR steps in, spots an offside in the build-up and the goal is ruled out

That's a season-changing moment handled properly. Without that intervention, Sunderland are staring down a two-goal deficit

in a game that decides who gets promoted. And that's not just bragging rights

That's tens of millions in prize money, broadcast revenue, sponsorships and potential signings

I mean, look at this window Sunderland have had. They've signed Granit Xhaka, for God's sake

One correct call literally reshapes the future of both clubs. That's the power of VAR when it's done right

It protects not just one result, but the integrity of the entire sport

It keeps the game honest. It keeps the playing field level. And it makes sure the biggest moments are decided by skill, not luck or human error

This is the version of VAR we all signed up for. Quick, accurate and game-defining for the right reasons

VAR can work. We've seen it. We've seen it save seasons, stop injustice

The problem is it just doesn't do it often enough. which is why we need to be looking at ways to take as much of the human error out as possible next season

And the next big step is semi-automated offsides. But in all seriousness, look, we've seen how it works in the Champions League and the World Cup

Lovely and quick, nice and precise. The call made in seconds, not three hours

No drawn-out freeze frames, no dodgy lines being dragged across the screen like a kid on Microsoft Paint

It's clean, it's clear, and it's consistent. Now it's coming to the Prem

we can instantly remove one of the biggest VAR pain points. Those two working day endless offside checks that completely killed the atmosphere and still somehow sparked controversy Semi offsides is huge for the Premier League And speaking of changes one thing that continues

to grind my gears and has to change for me, a second yellow leading to a red can't be overturned

Why? Why on God's green earth is that a rule? The FA's excuse is that yellow cards are subjective

decisions. So they don't want to set a precedent of reviewing every single one. Fine. But the

second yellow isn't just a yellow. It's a red. It's a suspension. It's 10 men playing uphill for

the rest of the game. When there's clear and obvious evidence that the second booking was soft

mistaken, or just simply wrong, it's mental that nothing can be done about it. The technology's

there. The replays are there. The common sense apparently isn't. Change it immediately

And while we're fixing rules for the love of football, can we please make the handball law something everyone actually understands

Was the arm in a natural position? Did it make the body unnaturally bigger

Did it deflect off another body part first? Was the ball travelling at 62.3 miles an hour from two feet away

Every referee seems to have a different interpretation. And every time IFAB clarifies it, they actually make it worse

Fans are not idiots. If they can't predict the call from a replay, the rule is broken, not their understanding of it

We need one clear, fixed definition of handball that works from Sunday League to the World Cup final

And then we need to stick to it. No tweets every six months. No interpretation loopholes

Just a law everyone, players, coaches, referees and the fans know inside out

Right, now I'm going to stop before I get 4-4-2 in big trouble

But the be-all and end-all is they simply have to get it right this year

Please, enough with the endless stoppages, the theatre, the paralysis by ysis

Bring back the fast-paced, heart-in-mouth Premier League we all fell in love with

The one decided on the pitch, not off of it. Mistakes will happen. We are human

But if VAR is here to stay, then it has to be sharper, quicker, braver

semi-automated offsides, clear rules, accountability for officials, all of it. Do that and maybe, just maybe, we'll spend this season talking about goals, glory and the great football

Comment down below which rule you think should be changed, added or removed

I'd be very interested to read those. Thank you all for watching. Till next week