VAR: PGMOL Chief Mike Riley Admits Four Mistakes Have Been Made So Far This Season

The Premier League's chief of referees Mike Riley has admitted to four decisions that VAR has got wrong so far this season, promising that officials will learn from their mistakes and make better use of the technology after the international break. 

The PGMOL chief was quizzed at a Premier League shareholder meeting during the break, with those present quick to point to four incidents in the division's opening stages that should have been caught by VAR.

Fabian Schar's equaliser for ​Newcastle against Watford after Isaac Hayden's handball in the build-up was top of the agenda, alongside Youri Tieleman's stamp on ​Bournemouth's Callum Wilson, which replays should would have justified a red card. 

There were also penalty appeals for ​Manchester City's David Silva and West Ham's Sebastian Haller against Bournemouth and Norwich respectively, and Riley addressed these four incidents as examples of where VAR could have helped the referee out.

"We are learning as we go along and we are constantly improving," he said, via ​Sky Sports. 

"Out of the four match rounds, there have been some really good examples where we have intervened. There have been six incidents where VAR has advised the referee and we have got a better decision as a result.

"There were four incidents where VAR didn't intervene and had they done, we would have a better understanding of the role VAR plays in the game. [The mistakes] are all about the judgement of VAR and the process that we adopt.

"These are examples where VAR could have had a benefit and intervened to help the referee on the day."

The technology has inspired no shortage of criticism from fans in England, with many believing that the use of video replays should eradicate mistakes completely - otherwise deeming itself redundant.

But Riley calls for patience, saying that the technology has already led to improved refereeing performances, and that officials will get it right given time. 

He added: "We are trying not to disrupt the flow of the game but on these occasions, the judgement should have been that it was a clear and obvious error.

"One of the really positive things about the first four match rounds has been the quality of on-field performances. All the referees have incorporated the things we need to do with VAR into their refereeing while still focusing on making real-time decisions."