FA OFFICIAL STATEMENT ON VAR CONTROVERSY – LIVERPOOL ROBBED AGAIN?…

Richard Keys expresses concern over the ongoing Tarkowski controversy at Everton.

Everton suffered a 1-0 loss in the recent Merseyside derby against Liverpool, with James Tarkowski once again making headlines.

In the previous encounter at Goodison Park, Tarkowski had been the hero, scoring a last-minute equalizer against Liverpool.

However, during the latest derby at Anfield, he found himself in the spotlight for a different reason.

The center-back avoided a red card for a risky tackle on Alexis Mac Allister, with the PGMOL later acknowledging that Tarkowski should have been sent off, marking yet another significant officiating error.

Richard Keys criticizes PGMOL following Tarkowski’s incident.

Following the revelation that the referee and VAR team had made a mistake during the derby, Richard Keys voiced his frustration regarding the officiating standards.

On X, he stated: “The PGMOL has confirmed what everyone else recognized last night – that Tarkowski should have been sent off.

Why do these fundamental mistakes keep occurring week after week? Villa should have been awarded a penalty at Brighton. Why aren’t we seeing improvements in standards? It’s alarming how inadequate our officials are.”

Tarkowski received a yellow card for his challenge, which involved him making contact with the ball before his studs struck Mac Allister’s leg in a high and dangerous manner.

Tarkowski’s narrow escape from a red card allowed him to maintain an impressive personal record.

The 32-year-old has accumulated 63 yellow cards throughout his Premier League career but has never been shown a red card, according to Opta.

This achievement positions him as one of the players with the highest number of yellow cards in Premier League history without ever being shown a red card, sharing this distinction with former Southampton midfielder Oriol Romeu.

Tarkowski has been a reliable presence for Everton this season, yet there are questions about whether he should have been sent off for his tackle.

Although one could argue that he made contact with the ball first, his follow-through was reckless and posed a risk of injury to Mac Allister, making him fortunate to avoid a red card.

Attention now shifts swiftly to the upcoming match against Arsenal at Goodison Park.