Head of PGMOL, Mike Riley, who oversaw the implementation of VAR in the Premier League, announces he will step down as the head of PGMOL after 13 years.
Riley, 57, led the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the body responsible for match officials in England, for 13 years.
He has faced series of criticism over how VAR has been used in the English top flight since it’s introduction in the 2019/2020 season. Riley said, “I am proud of the contribution our match officials have made to the professional game”.
“Now is the right time to plan for the future and allow the new leadership team to build on the strong foundations that we have in place.”
PGMOL have said they will confirm Riley’s replacement in due course.
Meanwhile, Richard Masters, the chief executive of the Premier League, thanked Riley for his commitment to the game. “During his time at PGMOL, he has worked hard to deliver and develop high-quality match officials across the professional game and led on the implementation of VAR into the Premier League three seasons ago,” Masters said.
VAR been met with divided opinions since it’s introduction. It was initially implemented to review “clear and obvious errors” in four game-changing incidents: goals, penalties, straight red cards and mistaken identity.
However, changes have been made throughout it’s three seasons of operation and before the start of last season, Riley promised VAR would be “dialled back” with officials told not to penalise “trivial things”.
Information from BBC Sports was used in this report
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