Jurgen Klopp and Arsene Wenger agree on Lee Mason amid massive VAR gaffe during Arsenal draw
Jurgen Klopp and Arsene Wenger have both spoken on Lee Mason, as Arsenal fumes over VAR error against Brentford.
Saturday’s 1-1 draw between Arsenal and Brentford was marred by a VAR error made by Lee Mason, which enraged Mikel Arteta and the rest of the Arsenal fanbase.
In the 66th minute of the north Londoners’ tense Premier League match against the Bees, Leandro Trossard tapped in Bukayo Saka’s cross. Ivan Toney scored the equalizer for Brentford eight minutes later, however it has subsequently been shown that referee Mason failed to draw the necessary offside lines in the buildup.
To explain the serious error, the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) contacted Arsenal to inform them that Toney’s assister, Christian Norgaard, was in fact offside. And it turns out that this is not the first time Mason has left the residents of north London dissatisfied.
In 2016, the Gunners and Saints played to a scoreless tie, and after the game, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger criticized referee Mason. Wenger told Mason, “It’s never different with you.”
Jurgen Klopp, the manager of Liverpool, has also commented on Mason’s refereeing. The German was furious when the Reds were denied a penalty for what appeared to be a foul on Mohamed Salah during their 1-1 draw with Fulham in the 2020/21 season.
That game was officiated by Andre Marriner, but Klopp singled out Mason, who was in charge of VAR. What did Lee Mason say specifically? In his post-match press conference, Klopp inquired of the media.
“I am not sure what Lee Mason is doing at home but that is not ‘normal contact’ in football. It’s not a big deal but there is contact and it’s enough contact to get an advantage.
“It’s a foul. But we cannot change it, I only spoke about it because you asked me.”
