Lee Mason has quit his role as a Premier League VAR after a costly blunder that saw Arsenal miss out on a win over Brentford.
Mason spent 15 years as a top-level official, having started his refereeing career in 1996, but retired from that role in the summer of 2021. He then became the Premier League’s first dedicated Video Assistant Referee, but has faced anger from Arsenal in recent weeks after making a mistake which cost them what would have been a crucial win over the Bees.
He failed to spot that Ivan Toney’s equaliser should not have stood, with Christian Norgaard having clearly been offside in the build-up to the goal. He was subsequently stood down by the Professional Game Match Officials Board, with the organisation now announcing Mason has quit his job altogether.
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. 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.
“We would like to thank Lee for his dedicated service to the professional game and wish him all the best for the future.”
The Premier League had announced their displeasure with Mason’s work following his blunder in the Arsenal game. They confirmed they had requested the PGMOL “review and explain” a number of decisions.
Discussion about this post